We’re back….

Posted on April 23, 2012 by carly

Petey Pie’s has been keeping us super busy lately! I often joke that I’m running a one person sweat shop, while feeding kids and whipping noises. Thankfully, I’ve got two little assistants who enjoy keeping me company while I sew.

After three years in front of the camera, MR is a seasoned veteran. She loves coming up with new poses and props for her pictures. Pink and purple remain her favorite colors. One of the biggest differences I’ve noticed about MR in the last few months is how much she is enjoying her role as “big sister”. Pretty sure she would tote her little brother from room to room if we would allow. I am so thankful for my sweet girl! She is my constant; my buddy; my hugger; and my reminder to grab my purse, cell phone, and lipstick before leaving the house.

While Huttie is not as amused with his mamas appliqueing hobby, he does his best to comply. Especially if m&m’s and marshmallows are present.

Regardless of what others think, I’m convinced that Hutson is all Harrell. He even holds his tongue like the Harrell boys. He is also 100% boy!!! Into everything; runs nonstop; and tackles just about any and everything in his way. He is one busy little boy. Much like his sister at 2, he is starting to outgrow his afternoon naps. He continues to live in the world of dinosaur roars; choo choos; airplanes; Cars the movie; and Barney. He’s tall (80% for his height) and skinny (20% for his weight). Per doctors orders, we’re doing our best to put some meat on his bones, which means we can credit Huttie for our 2 day a week addiction to Chick-fil-A.

MR came up a rule around here a few weeks ago….mandatory afternoon fun….the playset and sandbox continue to be the best investment we have made for our home. These two sure have put some miles on the ole swingset this spring!

Note: A HUGE thanks to each of my Petey Pie’s customers for allowing me to grow the business! It is such a blessing and a honor to create fun, functional, and classic clothing for your little ones! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

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A little slice of heaven

Posted on April 10, 2012 by carly

I met Christine and instantly knew that we would be friends. She has an infectious laugh; is a wonderful mama; and has an undeniable positive outlook on life. An added bonus is that our kids are the same age and we live less than a mile from each other. Living that close means that we get to play at her house often. And that makes for a happy mama and two happy kids….there’s an old barn, a tire swing, a pond, lots of room to run, and a pool. It’s what I like to call, little slice of heaven.

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This one should have been posted a month ago

Posted on March 5, 2012 by carly

Yep…behind again. The good news is that we’ve been sick for over a month now so there hasn’t been much to update. The bad news is that we’ve been sick for over a month now and to put it mildly, we’re sick and tired of being sick and tired. And just when I think I’m ready to turn to the pages of facebook to complain of my circumstances, I read about someone with real problems….and then I’m reminded that sick kids and sleepless nights are a mother’s privilege.

Another privilege…seeing these sweet cousins together…

A few weeks ago, we got to spend a weekend with the Virgina cousins in Athens while the boys went quail hunting. For two whole nights, we enjoyed five kids under five. Because the five under five outnumbered the grown-ups, we did our best to keep them happy. We even let three of the five sleep together. Bedtime routines were thrown out the window. As were balanced meals. There was a trip to Chick-fil-A. And an outing to the local, and thankfully very loud, Mexican restaurant. There were lots of laughs, a few time-outs, the occasional mess, and tons of sweet, sweet memories.

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The difference between boys and girls

Posted on February 10, 2012 by carly

I like smocked bishops. Big bows. And pretty script monograms. I like fairy tales with happy endings. Sparkly shoes. And twirly skirts. I like crafts; glitter; and glue. Long before I had Mary Reese, I knew I would love being a mama to a little girl.

And then Huttie Cat came into the picture. No one prepared me for the world of little boys. The constant runny nose; the squeal of excitement at a nearby tractor. The joy of airplanes; choo choos; footballs; lawn mowers; doggies; dinosaurs; and monster growls. The never ending “uh-ohs”, the countless falls, and the ever present skinned knee. No one prepared me that he would be able to out run me at a year, or that I would allow him to break the “no drink in the living room” rule. No one prepared me for his sweet kisses and his ability to throw a tantrum at the most inopportune time. And thank goodness they didn’t, because nothing could prepare me for how much I would love being a mama to a very loud and messy little boy!

Notes for the baby book: At four years old, MR is forty pounds of personality and creativity. She has recently started doing simple math like adding and subtracting. She knows all of her letters (both uppercase and lowercase) and all of her sounds. She loves school; loves to sing and make up songs; enjoys crafts; and is still obsessed with her “Mickey friends”. She’d drop it all though to be in the kitchen. At the mere mention of cooking or baking, she runs to her playroom to retrieve her stool and apron so that she can help. She is, as her Grance says, an “exceptional child”.

At 17m old, Huttie is a mess! He continues to be fascinated by airplanes, tractors, and trains. He can repeat most words and is beginning to put words together. He recently started saying “Hey Sadie”, “my baby”, and “more mama”. He calls MR “sissy” and prefers his daddy (or Sadie) over anyone else. He loves to dance and constantly requests that we turn on the “teeeeeebeeee” (tv) and the “mooosic” (music).


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Recap of January in February; part II

Posted on February 6, 2012 by carly

This time I’ve got a 6 pounds 1 ounce excuse for not blogging….On Wednesday, January 25th, sweet baby Brantley Harvey Bassinger entered the world. And although his early arrival meant that he had to spend a week in the NICU, he’s doing great now! As of this Friday, baby Brant is home with his mama and daddy! We are beyond thrilled to have an “in-town cousin” and can hardly wait to get our hands on that sweet baby boy!

Another thing I can hardly wait to do….get caught up on the blog. It’s been weighing on me for weeks. Since we are almost a week into February, here’s a short recap of mid to late January…

Every year, G’s work has a holiday party after the holidays. Makes a lot of sense, huh? Last year we went to the Fox to watch the Blueman group perform. Huttie was only six months old at the time so I “double spanxed” my midsection in hopes of hiding my post baby weight. I nearly died during the hour and half performance. This year, I had a repeat experience with a high waisted belt that I had no business wearing. It was meant to cover a stain, but looked more like a wrestling belt than a fashion fix. Lesson learned the hard way on that one. Tis better to breathe and have an awful stain than it is to sport an unflattering and uncomfortable belt. This may be my favorite picture from the night; a failed attempt by G and I to look young and glamorous on camera. I feel fairly confident that it could score the cover of a cheesy 99 cent romance novel.

With the holiday party behind us, we were able to do what we do best….eat and visit with sweet friends. G has known Jamie since college, but lost touch with her throughout the years of work and kids. Shortly after moving to the area we ran into her at church. Since then, we have become fast friends. Jamie has two girls and a baby on the way in a matter of weeks. She’s one brave mama, willing to cook in her third trimester and entertain two families with 6 kids under 6!

January has also been a month of birthdays. We averaged one a weekend, which may explain why my favorite jeans are a little tight. The last two weekends of the month, we celebrated sweet Maggie’s second birthday with yummy smores,

and Davis’s fourth birthday with a Disney Cars theme.

We were also able to get in some time with with Grance and Bigs in January. Grance is always good about letting MR help out. This time, MR got to set the table for a special Sunday lunch with Uncle Brother and Cook.

Another perk of January….mild weather. As in no jacket kind of weather. With temperatures in the mid fifties, we’ve spent a lot of the month outside, enjoying the sunshine!

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Late December and early January in almost February; part I

Posted on January 25, 2012 by carly

I keep having that reoccurring nightmare that I’ve shown up to school naked, only to find that it’s a test day and I haven’t studied a lick. I’m no stranger to this dream, it seems to rear its ugly head when laziness takes control and I neglect my day to day responsibilities. Thankfully my mama duties are in tact. As are my sewing duties. There are groceries in the house. And the laundry is folded and put away. While the last few months have been full of friends, family, church activities, and get-togethers, I have no blog to show for it. The worst part about getting behind is figuring out where to start….

Let’s go all the way back to the end of December. Yep, that’s how far behind I am…The kids adore their Papa Joe, so when we found out that he would be in the area working, we jumped at the opportunity to see him. While the Mall of Georgia wouldn’t be an exciting meeting place for many, it proved to be an amusement park for the kids. Seemed like every time I turned around, Papa Joe was having to dig deeper into his pockets…

We rode the carousel,

took a spin around the mall on the train,

and cheered on MR as she got over her fear of the bungee trampoline.

And just when we thought that our time together had come to an end, we discovered a whole section of the mall with kiddie quarter rides. The kids were in heaven. And poor Papa Joe was broke.

New Years Day was spent with our neighbors. The mimosa’s were great. And the food was even better.

A few days later, we had more great food at our sweet friend Emily and Brian’s house. Emily cooked up an amazing pot of jambalaya in a huge cast iron dutch oven. While the grown ups ate, the kids played. And while I ate, I wondered if my semi-homemade lasagna and bag salad would ever stack up to the delicious meals that we had eaten lately. I quickly came to the conclusion that it would not. And convinced myself that ordering pizza was not necessarily a “no no” when hosting kid-friendly get-togethers.

Fast forward to Jan 7th. On this day,we celebrated the upcoming arrival of Garrett’s sisters baby with lots of food, grilled sausage, and a keg (all requested by the baby’s daddy)! And while I initially laughed at this request and joked that this sounded more like a fraterniy party than a baby shower, I must say that the combination of beer, sausage, and baby gifts was a huge success. Three of us hosted the event and the day couldn’t have been more perfect! The difference between boys and girls (take note Hannah and Brantley)…while sweet MR played quietly with her leap pad throughout the shower, Huttie Cat tried his best to pretend he was a college freshman at the keg. This will be the first child for Hannah and Brantley and our first in-town cousin! With less than two weeks until baby Brant’s arrival, we are on total countdown mode!!!

If Brantley has anything to do with it, Baby Brant will play golf. If he doesn’t play, at least he will have a Petey Pie’s golf shirt to show his support of the game!

The day after the baby shower, we headed to Cumming, Georgia to celebrate Jacob’s birthday. This years theme was every boys dream, a mobile gaming theater full of large screen tv’s and video games. Huttie didn’t think twice about getting in the midst of the big boys. He especially enjoyed his time with the birthday boy and sat beside him while he opened each gift.

After cake and gifts, we exchanged Christmas presents. As usual, sweet Aunt Lynn spoiled MR and Huttie with all kinds of fun stuff! MR’s favorite, a pink princess phone that really works!

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Fits, tantrums, messes, and homemade cookies

Posted on January 5, 2012 by carly

I knew as soon as I typed a post to brag on my sweet my kids, they would turn on me. Sure enough…MR said she barley noticed my “angry face” today. Apparently I’d been wearing it so long that my face had frozen into a permanent scowl. It wasn’t that I was keeping score, it was just a total awareness that my kids had defeated me. Huttie dumped the trashcan over no less than a dozen times; rubbed Vaseline all over the sink and mirror in the bathroom; had fit after fit; pinched; hit; pushed; and pulled his sisters hair. I had to laugh to keep from crying. Spend money to keep from screaming. And hold my breath to keep from cussing. And just when I was about to throw in the towel, MR grabbed her apron and suggested baking cookies. A messy kitchen and four dozen cookies later, all was well. Thank the Lord for do overs. For homemade chocolate chip cookies. And for the realization that you can’t appreciate the good without a little of the bad!

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A mamas love

Posted on January 4, 2012 by carly

There are days when I want to hit the pause button and days when I yearn for the fast forward button. And sometimes, there are days when I damn sure want to hit the rewind button to undo all of my wrongs. Lately, I’ve had the desire to keep my finger placed on the pause button for fear that I’ll blink and the kids will be grown. It’s cliche but true…they grow so fast. I fear I will forget their giggles. Their misuse of words. Their cheeks, eyelashes, and toes. And especially, their precious innocence. I fear what lies ahead. How others will treat them. And how they will perceive themselves. Mostly, I fear forgetting the good ole days, when a tantrum or a missed nap was the biggest of my problems.

I adore being a mama to these sweet kids. I love MR’s sense of humor. Her creativity and zest for life. She’s a hugger and a lover of her “Mickey Friends” (Little People), crayons, glue, and glitter. She continues to look like her daddy, but acts so much like her mama. Her mouth runs non stop. We joke that she has the vocabulary of a college freshmen. She asks lots of questions and understands far more than your typical four year old. She is my partner in crime. She makes me laugh and keeps me smiling. She’s a rule follower, unless the rule doesn’t fit her needs, and then she becomes the negotiator. Her daddy and I agree that she would make one hell of an attorney!

Hutson is all boy. He’s rough. Loud. Physical. And loves all things on wheels. He’s my boy. The one who can sling a toy across the room one minute and give a sweet, sweet kiss the next. At 17 months, he already knows how to work his mama. He has a devilish grin, big brown eyes, and a head full of unruly curls. What he lacks for in words, he makes up for in personality. He’s a charmer and a cuddlier. There is no mistaken that this little boy is my spirited child. He tests my patience and reminds me that life isn’t always about pink hairbows and smocked dresses. Its about getting dirty and having fun! Most notable though about Huttie is that he resembles the Harrell side of the family!

Posted in Hutson, mary reese, memories | 3 Comments