I have been meaning to post since Saturday night because we had a lot of fun going bowling/out to dinner with my Dad, Pat and my niece Francesca, but I just haven't had the time. I got some real cute pictures, so I promise to post them by this weekend! Also, Seville has mastered the stairs now, so I got pictures of that too. She is so, so cute! She approaches the stairs forward and then a few feet from the top she turns around (you never have to remind her) and she "scooches" backwards until she gets to the first step, and then she goes all of the way down on her belly. It is so cute to see her inching backwards towards the stairs...her foot just trying and trying to find that first stair. She is really good, though, very safe and consistent! She already has my seal of approval to do it on her own, but I am going to keep standing there for awhile (probably a long while!) just to make sure!!
Anyway, in the meantime, I got tagged by Kristi and I promised her I would respond, so here is goes:
Four Things About Me
A. Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Full-time Nanny
2. Marketing Communications Manager for Innovision Corporation
3. Event Director/Wedding Planner/Sales/Operations Manager for Hawthorne House
4. Group Director of Marketing Events for Penton Media
B. Four Favorite Movies:
1. Thomas Crown Affair
2. How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days
3. Any romantic comedy...I love them all...too many to count!
4. Bourne Identity Trilogy
(I am really bad about remembering movies, as Scott can attest to, so I probably forgot a ton of good ones that I love!)
C. Four places I have lived:
1. Lawrence, KS
2. Overland Park, KS
3. Olathe, KS
4. Shawnee, KS
D. Four TV shows I watch:
I don't watch anything anymore...it is so sad, but if I do catch a few minutes I like to watch:
1. Jon and Kate Plus 8
2. Anything on HGTV, TLC, Discovery Health or Food Network
(Really, I have no series that I watch anymore...isn't that just horrible! The last things that I really liked to watch were 7th Heaven and Everwood, but they are over!)
E. Four (or more) places I have been
1. London
2. Switzerland
3. Hawaii
4. Germany
5. Italy
6. Mexico
7. Caribbean
8. Hawaii
and tons and tons of places in the U.S. Thanks mom and dad for working for the airlines. I guess it paid off!
F. Four people who e-mail me (regularly)
1. Mom
2. Kristi
3. Kelly/Aundria/Scott
4. Does everyone I work with count...I typically get over 150+ emails a day! I hate it! Needless to say I don't have a lot of time to e-mail other people (actually, when I am done with those e-mails I really just want off of the computer!)
G. Four of my favorite foods:
1. Tacos from Margarita's (or any Mexican food really)
2. Chinese from Tea Garden
3. My mom's ribs and sauerkraut
4. My mom's beef stroganoff
5. Appetizers of any kind!!
6. Sushi
7. Parmesan Crusted Sole with Lemon Caper Sauce from McCormick & Schmick's
H. Four places I would rather be right now:
1. At home with my girls/hubby
2. On vacation
3. Shopping
4. Scrapbooking with friends
5. At a spa
I. Four folks I think will respond:
1. Maybe my mom!
2. Probably no one else!
3. I encourage you all to start a blog!
4. I promise to read it!
J. Four things I am looking forward to this year:
1. Spending time with my family!
2. Our trip to Mexico!
3. Our trip to Florida!
4. Summer fun with all our family and friends!
5. Watching my girls grow...seeing who they will become!
6. Hadley's first dance recital!
7. Seeing Seville take her first steps!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
My Girl is Back!
Hadley is having such a fabulous time at Ms. B’s and we could not be happier! She wakes up every morning now and asks me if it is a school day and when I say yes she just cheers! “YEAHHHHHHH!!!!” Is that great or what!! Things always happen for a reason and this is certainly one of those times. My mom keeps saying that if she wouldn’t have had such a poor teacher during her last six months at the old school we probably wouldn’t have looked into switching her because there was nothing wrong with the school itself and I think she is probably right, but OH MY GOSH am I glad we did. Ms. B is bringing out a totally different side of Hadley. She really wants to learn new things now, and is SO excited about it! It reminds me of how she was when Gail started doing preschool with her at 2 years old and she just soaked it all up and amazed me everyday when she came home. That child was gone for the past year (she was probably just bored), but she is back now and we are so excited! It is so important to have someone who is excited about learning and being with kids and Ms. B is just fabulous!! We cannot say enough good things, but the smiles on the kids faces say it all! Here are some recent pics. Ms. B sends these to us when she can!
Playing limbo during the party!
Making a train during imagination week!
Girly hug and new friends! (It is currently Princess/Imagination week!) This is my favorite picture! Too cute!
Helping make a backdrop for princess pictures!
More princess friends!!
New friend!
Pretending to be someone else for the day. Hadley was "Claire!" Not sure why since we don't even know anyone named Claire, but it is cute anyway! Alyson was Missy Flower. Isn't that cute! 
Celebrating during their "Good Choice Coin Party!"
Playing limbo during the party!
Making a train during imagination week!
Girly hug and new friends! (It is currently Princess/Imagination week!) This is my favorite picture! Too cute!
Helping make a backdrop for princess pictures!
More princess friends!!
New friend!
Pretending to be someone else for the day. Hadley was "Claire!" Not sure why since we don't even know anyone named Claire, but it is cute anyway! Alyson was Missy Flower. Isn't that cute! 
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Hadley's New Love...
...Daddy's iPod!!! Scott downloaded some free episodes of Sesame Street onto his iPod and Hadley is hooked! Man, how times have changed. I can't believe my three year old is watching an iPod! You can rest assured we will be taking this on all of our plane trips this year!
Seville's new love is the little valentine giraffe that Gail got her. Gail has a tradition of giving all of the kids animals like this on their first Valentine's Day and most of the kids become very attached to these animals for years to come. I was so excited for Seville to get one this year and sure enough she has been holding it pretty much non-stop ever since. Neither of my kids have ever really attached to anything, but maybe Seville will attach to "Kissers" (that is the giraffe's name)! Because she is showing such a bond to him/her already I went out and bought two more on Friday night. Since they are only out during Valentine's season I thought better safe than sorry! Now Seville has one, Hadley took one and we have a spare! PHEW!!
Yesterday I got to scrapbook with my friends while the girls had a blast out at the farm and Scott went out with some Pulte buddies! Today we are going to try and meet-up with Kelly, Kyle and baby Evie for lunch. We also want to go by my Dad and Pat's and show them the new car, but the snow is coming down like crazy outside right now, so who really knows how the day is going to shake out!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Madame Hatter's Tea Room
Fridays, as most of you know, are "Gam days" for Hadley! Today they did something extra special!!
After years of drinking coffee, my mom switched to tea several years ago, and Hadley for some reason has a real interest in my mom's tea! Maybe it is because my mom always says in a real funny English voice "would you like a spot of tea?" (I think it comes from the many years of being a flight attendant!) So, today my mom took Hadley to a tea room for the first time. They had a FABOLOUS time at Madame Hatter’s! What a special thing for the two of them to do together…I wish I didn't have to work so that I could have gone too!
After looking at these pictures it instantly came to me that this would be the perfect location for Hadley’s 4th birthday (I have really been struggling with ideas!) As you can see, she is just beaming in the pictures, so I can’t think of any place better to have her party than some place she enjoys so much! I can just see all of the girls now!!
I know we will be hearing about this special day for months to come, and I am sure she will think that every Gam day should now include a trip to Madam Hatter’s!
After years of drinking coffee, my mom switched to tea several years ago, and Hadley for some reason has a real interest in my mom's tea! Maybe it is because my mom always says in a real funny English voice "would you like a spot of tea?" (I think it comes from the many years of being a flight attendant!) So, today my mom took Hadley to a tea room for the first time. They had a FABOLOUS time at Madame Hatter’s! What a special thing for the two of them to do together…I wish I didn't have to work so that I could have gone too!
After looking at these pictures it instantly came to me that this would be the perfect location for Hadley’s 4th birthday (I have really been struggling with ideas!) As you can see, she is just beaming in the pictures, so I can’t think of any place better to have her party than some place she enjoys so much! I can just see all of the girls now!!
I know we will be hearing about this special day for months to come, and I am sure she will think that every Gam day should now include a trip to Madam Hatter’s!
My SWEET Valentines!
I hope everyone had an excellent Valentine's Day! We didn't do anything besides spend time with our girls, but we wouldn't have it any other way!
"Roo" (aka Seville)
"Haddie" (aka Hadley)
Hadley saying "I love you!" in sign language.
This was her idea...I didn't even have to ask her to do it! I thought that was a perfect thing to do on Valentine's Day!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Updates and Little Miss Mischief!
We have had a lot going on the last few days and I wanted to update everyone…I’m sorry I am so behind! I found it easier to just split it into a few posts this time, so there is this one and then two more new ones below!
Most importantly, Seville had her tubes put in this morning and it went GREAT!! She is resting right now and doing just perfect. It really didn’t faze her. The doctor said it was really good we did it because her fluid wasn’t just fluid, it was like mucusy snot (sorry, but that is what he said!) I can’t imagine how she heard through all of that. I thought she would be really sensitive to sound today, but she really hasn’t been. I caught her off guard a few times…like when I said “NO” kind of loud because she was feeding the dog AGAIN from her high chair and she jumped about sky high because I think my voice scared her, but otherwise she is really having a very normal day. She has been playing lots and doing great!! I am so glad we have finally crossed this bridge. I hope it really helps her!
On a side note, Hadley had her first dentist appointment yesterday. For those of you who don’t know, my brother-in-law Frank is a dentist, so of course we went to see him at his office in Topeka. Hadley did so AWESOME!! I still can’t believe how great she did. She just opened right up and let them do everything they needed to do. I was so proud and relieved! The only problem is that she needs to get her tongue clipped. Ya know that thing underneath your tongue that connects it to your mouth, well hers connects to like the front of her tongue instead of the middle. I really don’t know why I have never noticed it, but it is pretty bad. She can’t even stick her tongue out or put it to the roof of her mouth. Poor baby! They said over time it will affect her speech. Anyway, Frank cannot do it, so we will have to go see a periodontist. One more fun medical thing for the Skinner family, but hey, we are just happy our kids are overall very healthy. We can’t complain!!
Most importantly, Seville had her tubes put in this morning and it went GREAT!! She is resting right now and doing just perfect. It really didn’t faze her. The doctor said it was really good we did it because her fluid wasn’t just fluid, it was like mucusy snot (sorry, but that is what he said!) I can’t imagine how she heard through all of that. I thought she would be really sensitive to sound today, but she really hasn’t been. I caught her off guard a few times…like when I said “NO” kind of loud because she was feeding the dog AGAIN from her high chair and she jumped about sky high because I think my voice scared her, but otherwise she is really having a very normal day. She has been playing lots and doing great!! I am so glad we have finally crossed this bridge. I hope it really helps her!
On a side note, Hadley had her first dentist appointment yesterday. For those of you who don’t know, my brother-in-law Frank is a dentist, so of course we went to see him at his office in Topeka. Hadley did so AWESOME!! I still can’t believe how great she did. She just opened right up and let them do everything they needed to do. I was so proud and relieved! The only problem is that she needs to get her tongue clipped. Ya know that thing underneath your tongue that connects it to your mouth, well hers connects to like the front of her tongue instead of the middle. I really don’t know why I have never noticed it, but it is pretty bad. She can’t even stick her tongue out or put it to the roof of her mouth. Poor baby! They said over time it will affect her speech. Anyway, Frank cannot do it, so we will have to go see a periodontist. One more fun medical thing for the Skinner family, but hey, we are just happy our kids are overall very healthy. We can’t complain!!
Below are some pictures I had to share of Seville on her favorite toy (the little pink buggy Jeremy and Kristi got her for Christmas)…she is so different than Hadley was at this age, and she is so mischievous!!!! She gets into everything, is always climbing on things, and ALWAYS testing her limits. Sometimes I think Seville might be spelled T-R-O-U-B-L-E…but really, she is a very good and happy baby…she is just our Little Miss Mischief!!
Yes, she is standing up in the seat!
This one I just thought was cute!
January Family Birthdays!
Question: How long does Scott get to celebrate his 29th birthday?
Answer: For over a MONTH!!!
Yes, that is right folks, we have been celebrating Scott’s birthday for over a month now! I guess I can’t complain, that is normally how my birthdays go too! Saturday night was the Fillingham family (Scott’s mom’s side) January birthday celebration. Aunt Mary was the host since cousin Hunt turned 4 in January! It was a great celebration as always! Scott’s grandma turned 75 in January! The Fillingham family just keeps growing and growing and growing. We were missing quite a few this month, but in 2007 alone we added 5 new babies (including one set of twins!) This compared to my mom’s side of the family which includes me, my mom, Jon, Scott and the girls!! It is nice to have both a big and a small family!!
Answer: For over a MONTH!!!
Yes, that is right folks, we have been celebrating Scott’s birthday for over a month now! I guess I can’t complain, that is normally how my birthdays go too! Saturday night was the Fillingham family (Scott’s mom’s side) January birthday celebration. Aunt Mary was the host since cousin Hunt turned 4 in January! It was a great celebration as always! Scott’s grandma turned 75 in January! The Fillingham family just keeps growing and growing and growing. We were missing quite a few this month, but in 2007 alone we added 5 new babies (including one set of twins!) This compared to my mom’s side of the family which includes me, my mom, Jon, Scott and the girls!! It is nice to have both a big and a small family!!
Hadley, Becca and Hunt!
Cousin Hunt blowing out his candles!
Hadley singing "Happy Birthday" to Scott!
Uncle Craig and Seville (in her jammies!)
Hadley and Seville playing on Hunt's bunk beds! 
Seville wanting to go over the edge of the bed!!!
Our New Ride
Well, we did it! We finally traded the Murano in for the vehicle we have had our eye on for quite some time…the Mazda CX-9…isn’t she pretty!!! We love her already! But really, we have been wanting (or shall I say needing) something with a third row for quite sometime and the CX-9 fit the bill. She has the styling I like with an easy access and roomy third row! Now when we go out with grandparents we can all fit in one car, and I can do carpooling/playdates with our friend’s kids, cousins, etc. We got her on Saturday and she is already fitting right into our family. It will be hard to give her up when they install the dual headrest DVDs later this week or next week, but Hadley is really excited about that part. She didn’t quite understand why we brought home a new car without a DVD player in it…I guess it just shows you were her interests lie! Anyway, we love it and hope you all like it too! Can’t wait to give everyone a ride!!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
And the verdict is...
TUBES!! I know this might sound strange, but we are happy to say that Seville will be getting tubes put in next Tuesday morning at 7:30 a.m. It has been kind of a long road starting with taking her to the ENT at two months old because she didn’t startle to any sounds, followed by many more trips to the ENT and then in December the sedated ABR. Yesterday she flat-lined her tempanograms in both ears once again and had double ear infections. Needless to say, the answer was pretty clear and we hope that the tubes will bring her some much needed relief and a whole new world of hearing!! Please keep us in your thoughts next week! We hope this is the answer to our prayers!
Last night Kristi and I went to Let’s Dish! If you haven’t heard of Let’s Dish it is a place where you go to make (or pick up) family-friendly dishes designed to be frozen and cooked when you need them! I have gone several times before, and Scott and I are always pleasantly surprised with the flavor and ease of their meals. When I get home at 6:00 p.m. after working all day, dropping off/picking up the girls, etc., the last thing I want to do is cook…especially since Seville goes to bed at 7:30 p.m. I just hate spending the majority of my time at home when she is awake each night either cooking or cleaning up, which means we end-up coming up with quick meals that aren’t very healthy, or even worse fast food! I really want my family to eat healthy, but it is just hard to find the time. I think I might enjoy cooking if I could start at like 3:00 p.m. and shop on the weekdays instead of the weekends (again, taking time away from my family), but that just isn’t the way life is for us right now, so I asked Kristi if she wanted to split some Let’s Dish meals with us and luckily she didn’t have to think twice because we both pretty much feel the same way!! We had a great time and have 14 GREAT new meals in our freezer! It is so nice knowing what goes into your food…if I can’t make our meals completely from scratch then this is certainly the next best thing!
On a final note, Hadley started at Ms. B’s today and it was a FABOLOUS first day! Both her and Alyson did GREAT!! The drop off was so easy…they really could care less that we were leaving, and the day went perfect as well! Hadley was so excited to tell us about her day and everything she learned. She even made some new friends already as well! She got to make a bracelet out of heart beads and do several other valentine related activities! She really, truly seemed to enjoy her day…we are so happy!
Last night Kristi and I went to Let’s Dish! If you haven’t heard of Let’s Dish it is a place where you go to make (or pick up) family-friendly dishes designed to be frozen and cooked when you need them! I have gone several times before, and Scott and I are always pleasantly surprised with the flavor and ease of their meals. When I get home at 6:00 p.m. after working all day, dropping off/picking up the girls, etc., the last thing I want to do is cook…especially since Seville goes to bed at 7:30 p.m. I just hate spending the majority of my time at home when she is awake each night either cooking or cleaning up, which means we end-up coming up with quick meals that aren’t very healthy, or even worse fast food! I really want my family to eat healthy, but it is just hard to find the time. I think I might enjoy cooking if I could start at like 3:00 p.m. and shop on the weekdays instead of the weekends (again, taking time away from my family), but that just isn’t the way life is for us right now, so I asked Kristi if she wanted to split some Let’s Dish meals with us and luckily she didn’t have to think twice because we both pretty much feel the same way!! We had a great time and have 14 GREAT new meals in our freezer! It is so nice knowing what goes into your food…if I can’t make our meals completely from scratch then this is certainly the next best thing!
On a final note, Hadley started at Ms. B’s today and it was a FABOLOUS first day! Both her and Alyson did GREAT!! The drop off was so easy…they really could care less that we were leaving, and the day went perfect as well! Hadley was so excited to tell us about her day and everything she learned. She even made some new friends already as well! She got to make a bracelet out of heart beads and do several other valentine related activities! She really, truly seemed to enjoy her day…we are so happy!
Well, a storm is blowing in…Scott and I can’t believe how hard it is snowing outside…I don’t think I have seen it snow this hard in a long time…maybe tomorrow will be a snow day!
Seville being a ham and standing on her car seat...she is such a monkey!
Hadley showing off her new bike helmet for Ms. B's (they have a bike track in the back yard!)
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Fun Weekend Update
It has been a really great weekend packed with lots of fun things! I meant to post several times over the weekend, but it didn’t happen, so here it is all in one big post!
It all started on Friday when I got to meet up with my friend Aundria and her son Laith for lunch! Aundria is one of my friends from college and we have stayed very close ever since. Even though life is busy and we don’t get to see as much of each other as we would like, we still have such a blast when we get together. We could talk FOREVER, but unfortunately my one-hour lunch breaks don’t really accommodate that very well. We have made a new vow to meet at least once a month going forward so that there isn’t so much to catch up on! Her son Laith is almost two and is always such a champ sitting though our lunches. He probably won’t want to put up with it when he gets much older. Maybe we will have to start meeting at the McDonald’s playground or something!! Which brings up a good point I have always wondered about…why can’t places like Panera have playgrounds…why does it just have to be fast food burger places?
Friday night Kristi and I took Hadley and Alyson to Sesame Street Live: When Elmo Grows Up! They were so excited and we had a really great time! We had awesome seats on the floor that Kristi’s mom (Nana) got for us!! Thanks, Nana! The characters were only a few feet away…it was really neat! My camera was acting up and I didn’t get a lot of great pics, but here are a few. Hopefully Kristi will have some better ones! I think we are finally going to get my new camera this week!
We sat in Section #1 on the floor! WOW!
Waiting for the show to begin!
Eating cotton candy!
Big Bird
Abby Cadabby
The Cast 
Elmo
Saturday was another fun day! My mom and Jon watched the girls while we went looking for new cars. We really need something with a third row and have pretty much decided on the CX-9! After that we all met up at the bowling alley and took Hadley bowing for the first time. It was SOOO MUCH FUN!! Can’t wait to go again! Hadley had a blast and we had a blast watching her! There are pics below! One of her favorite things was watching the ball come back up out of the machine! Oh, and BTW…I won! I haven’t bowled since college, but somehow managed to get like 4 strikes and three spares! I didn’t even know how it was happening!! My mom says I might have to add bowling to my hobby list now!
Loves to watch the ball come up!
Her favorite ball!
Seville and Grampa!
Watching, watching, watching!
Right down the middle!
Right down the middle again!
Mommy WON!!
I came home to put Seville to sleep so Scott could stay and watch the game! Hope everyone out there is enjoying the Super Bowl!! Have a great week! Hadley starts Ms. B’s on Tuesday! Wish us luck…we are very excited!! Also, Seville’s ENT appointment is tomorrow so I should have an ear tube update!
It all started on Friday when I got to meet up with my friend Aundria and her son Laith for lunch! Aundria is one of my friends from college and we have stayed very close ever since. Even though life is busy and we don’t get to see as much of each other as we would like, we still have such a blast when we get together. We could talk FOREVER, but unfortunately my one-hour lunch breaks don’t really accommodate that very well. We have made a new vow to meet at least once a month going forward so that there isn’t so much to catch up on! Her son Laith is almost two and is always such a champ sitting though our lunches. He probably won’t want to put up with it when he gets much older. Maybe we will have to start meeting at the McDonald’s playground or something!! Which brings up a good point I have always wondered about…why can’t places like Panera have playgrounds…why does it just have to be fast food burger places?
Friday night Kristi and I took Hadley and Alyson to Sesame Street Live: When Elmo Grows Up! They were so excited and we had a really great time! We had awesome seats on the floor that Kristi’s mom (Nana) got for us!! Thanks, Nana! The characters were only a few feet away…it was really neat! My camera was acting up and I didn’t get a lot of great pics, but here are a few. Hopefully Kristi will have some better ones! I think we are finally going to get my new camera this week!
Best Friends!
We sat in Section #1 on the floor! WOW!
Waiting for the show to begin!
Eating cotton candy!
Big Bird
Abby Cadabby
The Cast 
Elmo
Saturday was another fun day! My mom and Jon watched the girls while we went looking for new cars. We really need something with a third row and have pretty much decided on the CX-9! After that we all met up at the bowling alley and took Hadley bowing for the first time. It was SOOO MUCH FUN!! Can’t wait to go again! Hadley had a blast and we had a blast watching her! There are pics below! One of her favorite things was watching the ball come back up out of the machine! Oh, and BTW…I won! I haven’t bowled since college, but somehow managed to get like 4 strikes and three spares! I didn’t even know how it was happening!! My mom says I might have to add bowling to my hobby list now!
Putting on her FIRST pair of bowling shoes!
Loves to watch the ball come up!
Her favorite ball!
Seville and Grampa!
Watching, watching, watching!
Right down the middle!
Right down the middle again!
Mommy WON!!
Today we went over to my Dad and Pat’s and spent some time hanging out with them! It was really nice! They also took us out for Scott’s birthday lunch! Hadley loves to laugh and giggle with her Grandpa John…he is always doing or saying something really silly!
Tonight we went to a Super Bowl party at our next-door neighbor’s house! There was tons of great food, and Hadley got to be reunited with her buddy Attey who moved out of the neighborhood last March and now just moved back in!
Tonight we went to a Super Bowl party at our next-door neighbor’s house! There was tons of great food, and Hadley got to be reunited with her buddy Attey who moved out of the neighborhood last March and now just moved back in!
I came home to put Seville to sleep so Scott could stay and watch the game! Hope everyone out there is enjoying the Super Bowl!! Have a great week! Hadley starts Ms. B’s on Tuesday! Wish us luck…we are very excited!! Also, Seville’s ENT appointment is tomorrow so I should have an ear tube update!
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