Obsession!

Hello, my name is Melissa, and I have a water bottle obsession.

I don't know what is wrong with me. I can't seem to have enough of these things. I have all probably 8 different colors and sizes. Different spouts, etc. It's madness I tell you!

One thing I can tell you, is that I have determined after many types of water bottles, that I can consume (will consume) more water (I hate water!) if drinking it from a straw. Anyone else notice this phenomenon?

So, I say all this to let you all know why I purchased my newest pink, cool straw and BPA free water bottle yesterday. Can't wait to try it out!

Is it just me?

I don't know what it is, or why it is, but I'm so tired! I haven't done a whole heck of a lot since VBS was over. I did enjoy my parents and sister for the week after VBS. We did go on a camping trip the weekend after July 4th, but even that is weeks ago. Why am I still so tired?

The summer has gone by pretty quick. My girls, because we are on the year-round school system up here, start school next week. Can you believe that? I would be more excited if they were both starting the full-day school, but yet again, I still have one that will be in the half-day. I hate that! Really, what purpose does that serve. It leaves me stranded in our part of town (which is at least 20 minutes from everything we do) until after 11:30am every day. This means, no ladies bible studies, no getting work done at church, no playdates (unless they come to me) etc. It really stinks!

Anyway, enough of that. I'll talk about the kids. They are all doing great. Andy got his cast off the week of VBS. Did I already tell ya'll that? Well, he did. He actually got it off a week and a half early. Yay! It took him a few days to get back to walking, and then another week or so to stop walking with a limp....but now, he's back to his old self. Running, playing, climbing! We have been extra careful in the bathroom since the accident. No more slips!

Peyton is reading like crazy! She will be starting 1st grade this year, but she's already reading on a 3rd grade level. It's pretty impressive, and I feel the need to brag a little. I'm so proud of her. She really does just love learning! I've been making a lot of chapter book purchases lately. She flies through them pretty quick. I just bought some of the old Boxcar Children series books for her on Amazon. She seems to enjoy them. The reason I say she's reading on a third grade level is because those books are for 9-12 year olds and she reads them with ease. Oh, and she also just learned how to ride her bike without training wheels.

Emily finished up her ballet year with a great little recital. She probably won't be doing ballet this year. I think we need to find a new activity that is less expensive and doesn't last an entire year. That was a little much. She will be starting Kindergarten next week, and she is very excited. Both the girls just started swimming lessons at a new swim school up here. We are two weeks into it, and I can already see great improvement! I'm very excited about having them finally learn to swim. It takes a real big weight off my shoulders as a mother. All you mothers out there know exactly what I mean.

Andy is growing up so fast. It almost makes me sad. He is talking like crazy and he is just such a joy in our lives. A lot of times it is pretty obvious that he has two older sisters. Every once in a while I have to tell him to take off the girl's dress-up shoes, or put down the barbie and play with his dinosaurs, but he's still all boy!!!! He loves chasing his sisters while ROARING like a dinosaur, and he loves rolling his toy cars down our stairs. He also can count to 20 by himself, only leaving out 13, 15, and 17. He also loves to sing his ABC's and is pretty doggone smart!

Other than being in kind of a funk. I look forward to playing on the co-ed church softball team every friday night. It really is therapy for me. I get a little into it....ok, A LOT into it, but I LOVE IT! Jimmy opted to take this year off. I think.....he won't admit it fully, but I think it had a little to do with the fact that he didn't want to come to my defense each week. Again, I can get a little carried away. I can't help it. Most of you know the family I come from......nuff said!!!!

Jimmy is doing great! He's working hard and cranking out that code! He just hiked his first fourteener last weekend. I'm so proud of him, because I can't say I would have ever attempted it. He hiked Mt. Elbert. It is supposedly the highest peak in CO at 14, 4oo something. He did good! He is a little sore, and did say that he will probably never do it again, but oh well......HE DID IT!!!

That's about it for now. I'll try to get more on top of things so it doesn't take me so long to post another entry. Until then, I hope you are all having a great summer!!!

Cute pics

First of all, thank you to all those who participated in Peyton's survey for school. She turned her results in today. She loved checking the blog to see who all left comments.

Now, I'm just posting some cute pics of Andy because....well, he's just so cute! The snow is finally starting to melt from this week's multiple days of sun and 50 degree weather. Of course, saturday it is planning to snow again, so whatcha going to do. I tried to let the kids play outside a little this week while the weather was nice.

Saturday, February 17, 2007



Thursday, February 22, 2007

Recent happenings

Big news! I know you have all been anxiously awaiting a new Hatcher Hookup post. Well, wait no more!

First, the weather here has been quite unusual. I can't even begin to tell you how much snow is piled up in my front yard. Since the week before Christmas that is all we have seen. Every week, always on a thursday or friday, we get a new winter storm. Such fun! I'm missing the old Denver weather, where it would snow and then melt the following day. Our christmas snowfall is still in the yard. I'm beginning to think it will be here until summer.

The most annoying thing about the constant snow is that my car always has wet boot prints on the floor and I have to keep the towel draped across the front entrance to our house at all times. I hate the mess of it all!

Peyton is still off track, meaning she is not back in school yet. She will start back in about a week and a half. I'm so ready to send her back. It been a long break and the weather has not really cooperated for outside playtime. She has had lots of time to practice her reading, which is getting better and better every day. She is reading everything in sight, and soaking it all up. She also enjoys writing stories and playing games on the computer. She can navigate her way all over the internet. Just recently, she managed to lose both her top teeth on the same day. She knew from past tooth fairy visits that one tooth would bring her $2, so she was able to do the $2 + $2 = $4 really quick.


Emily is back in school because she is on the traditional school year. She has enjoyed playdates, ballet and lots of playtime with her sister over the holidays. She too enjoys playing on the computer. It is amazing how quickly they can develop that hand/eye coordination. She amazes me!

Andy has enjoyed having both his sisters to play with for the past few weeks. He has them trained. They take such good care of him and love teaching him new things. Jimmy took him to get his first haircut at the barber shop the other day. He said that he didn't like the gown that they draped over him, but that as soon as they gave him a sucker he was ok with anything. After the cut, Jimmy said it looked as if Andy had a grown a beard because of the sticky drool and fallen hair that had accumulated on his chin.

Jimmy is busy with work and shoveling the weekly deposits of snowfall on our driveway. He took his first trip to CA just this week.

As for me, I'm busy, busy, busy! With my work, my house, my children and my blog I keep myself very busy!

Thank You Grandma!

Again, because of last week's blizzard all postal deliveries have been postponed. Not the best time of the year to have this problem, but there was literally, no way around it! Finally, almost a week after it was scheduled to arrive, Grandma's big present arrived! A pony! Last night, around 8pm (normally bedtime) the pony showed up on our doorstep. The girls were screaming and jumping in delight! Immediately Daddy started putting it together. I had to track down 6 D batteries in order to make it work....thank goodness for neighbors that buy in bulk!

The girls played on the pony, that they now refer to as, Katie. They fed her a carrot and brushed her coat til it was shining!

Thank you Grandma for such a cool gift! We love it!

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Prayers needed!

Hello all! Well, as you can see we will definitely be having a White Christmas! Early this morning we started getting snow and it is supposed to continue through tomorrow. This would actually be a great, fun event if it my parents weren't trying to make the 19 hour trip up here for the holidays. They were not supposed to leave until this afternoon, but after watching the news yesterday Jimmy and I thought they would do better to leave early. Well, they did.....and now, after driving for the past 14 or more hours they have only made it as far as Raton, NM. My mother said that visibility is terrible, but that at this point it is safer to keep moving than to pull over and wait.

The whole state of Colorado is being pelted with snow. Denver is actually considered the bullseye of the storm with a blizzard warning in effect. Not good.

Anyway, I would like to ask for your prayers for my parents and sister during their travel. They are truly in some horrible conditions and I just pray for their saftey. Hopefully, by late tonight they will be here all snug and warm in our home.

I'll keep you posted with pics and an update.

UPDATE:

My parents have managed to make it to a small town just south of Pueblo, CO. They were not lucky enough to get a room from one of the two hotels there in town, but have found refuge at a small church. Looks like they will be spending the night on the pews.

It is still snowing heavy here where we live, and is not scheduled to give up at all until early afternoon tomorrow. Hopefully, by then there may be a possibililty of roads opening and they will be able to make the last 3 hour part of the drive here to our home.

The new pic I just took at our back window. If you look close you can see that the wind is causing snow drifts and the one against the back of our house is about 3 feet.

For the Grandparents!

This post is just for Grandma, Papaw and Nannaw. Peyton opened her presents tonight while I of course had the camera handy. I wanted y'all to share in Peyton's excitement. She loved every single thing she received, and I'm sure will try it all out as soon as she can. Thank you for making her day great! We love you!

Wednesday, October 18, 2006