Merry Christmas

Maddy had a fun day. She got about half way through opening presents before she gave up. Better than last year - she only made it through one or two.  She was so excited to see her new doll house and all her new barbies. She also loved her new Belle dress - she put in on instantly along with her new shoes. After hanging with the family all day at my parents, we came home to go to bed. She informed us that she needed to use the potty. She did - all over the stool and rug. How funny. I could't stop laughing. Jim didn't find it funny at all. We quickly washed her down and wished her into bed for the night. Whew.

Banana pants

What is it with Banana pants? She calls everything banana pants or banana bootie or banana doodie. What is that?

Gently Used Toys for Sale - November 2013

That's awesome

Maddy and Reagan figured out that our neighbors actually light their fireworks early. They don't wait for the 4th of July. Fine with us. They were both huddled on GeeGee's setee and were leaning into the curtains as they watched and squealed with glee about the boomies and the fireworks.

It was so darn cute to watch. This is the year we planned to take them to see fireworks. I'm super excited do see this for the first time in years through a child's eyes. I love my loves.

Maddy's quote "That's awesome Mommy"! Pointing at the fireworks.

Teeth!

Holy Cow! Reagan has molars. Tonight, I was brushing her teeth and wanted to look at her back tooth that had a dark spot on it. When I opened her mouth, that's when I saw it. The back bottom left molar was half way through. Then I looked at the rest of her mouth - all her back molars are in except the bottom back right. What!? Wow! Now to figure out what these things are called. I can't believe it.

My daughter is obsessed with snakes

Maddy and Reagan wanted some balloons blown up yesterday. So we did.  This morning, Maddy bit a hole in one of the balloons and showed Jim the hole... "It's a snake daddy! ssssssssssss"

We both giggled. She's obsessed.

So smart

I can't believe how much Maddy knows already. She's got some sigh words down. I put in the Preschool Prep series in this morning and she said about 75% of the words before they told her what they were. Reagan was cheering in the backseat too. So I guess we are now onto the second CD tomorrow. I can't wait to see what words she knows from that one. :)

My little girl is reading like crazy

Reagan is reading like crazy. She doesn't stop. She stayed up last night and read in her room. She ready her Mickey Mouse book to me tonight... it's not a reader either. I was so impressed. I love watching her grow and build her confidence. It's so cool to see he try without fear finally. I just love it. So proud of her.

Reagan got weapons

Tonight, Reagan came home with a huge grin and a pair of nun chucks. Uh oh world... here comes Reagan. She was so proud. She went out into the living room and showed us how it was done. So proud. Sniff sniff.

Reagan and horses

Today, Dad and I took Reagan to a birthday party for one of her friends at a "local" farm/stable. It was awesome. It was a huge farm (70 acres) and they had many horses and other animals.  The event was riding horses and it was a hit. Reagan was all about running around in the dirt with her friends from church and riding horses. So she did. She got up on the horse and rode around that arena several times. She glowed the whole time. So did I. Despite my fun allergies, I took pictures of her anyway. I didn't care. I wanted to capture that moment for her. 

The kids had a great time. I loved listening to her talk about the rooster that crowed regardless of the time of day and the lame goat that was hanging around. She seemed to really enjoy the day. When we got home, we took a quick shower and hung out in the basement while Maddy napped. We made body glitter (which ended up on my dad later this evening) and played Barbie Uno. :) Just girls stuff. Then we snuggled on the couch and mama took a 20 minute cat nap. Ahhh. 

Nice day with Reagan.

Just fun

Maddy has this thing when she goes to my parents to get on their couch. She goes into the house and immediately goes to lay down with all the stuffed animals and blanket. I sleep here. I don't know why, but it's their thing. She gets all snuggly and plays "house" or some version of that with my mom forever.

The other thing she's been mastering is ball. My dad has been tossing the ball to her for weeks now. She is not afraid of it in the least. She is actually aggressive with it. Today, she caught every one. Now, that might not be a big deal, but keep in mind she's standing on their living room chair at the same time. I'm impressed.

Going out tonight

TOnight, I got a babysitter so I could get some girl time while Jim was out of town. As she arrived, Maddy struggled to let go. Reagan was excited to see her. She wanted to go open the door for her, she wanted to play with her. She was ready. Maddy, on the other hand, wanted me to stay. She walked over to me and threw her arms around me saying "mama don't go yet". Love. Mush. I looked down at her and said "you'll have fun tonight with her". Yes mama, but don't go yet she repeated.

I love that. I can't believe how expressive she is - not just being able to communicate what she wants, but also including time recognition as well. I love it.

Karate

Reagan must have missed going to karate last week because she kept asking over the weekend when she was going again. So tonight, she was excited to find out she was going. She did really well in class. It might have had something to do with the fact that her daddy was helping teach the class. :)

Eating like a champ

Tonight, Reagan got home from karate and was apparently really hungry. She immediately went downstairs to hang out with Maddy and the babysitter and wanted to eat. She ate all her mac & cheese, tomatos and even her chicken. Weird. She even said "I'm starving mom!"

I looked at her and said "what did you do with my Reagan?"

We both giggled.

Naked time backfired

Maddy wanted to do naked time tonight. Nice. She basically strips down  naked and then announces it with lots of giggles and shrieking. Cute.  When Reagan asked her to sit on the couch with her, she said "I can't, my feet are wet". Nice. Too bad she's not potty trained.

Throwing a ball

Maybe Maddy will do well at soccer. Tonight, I watched her do what I would call a perfect overhead toss (for soccer). Not that I know much about soccer, but it looked pretty darn good to me, especially for a two-year old. She had two hands overhead, the lean and follow through. Nice!

Then later, she was running and saw her dora ball. She scooted her feet and then kicked it and just kept going. Maybe... who knows.

Running crazy

Reagan and Maddy have this thing about running around our house. Our main floor is like a running track. They take off running and one ends up chasing the other. They run for a half and hour at a time - literally. I used to worry about exercise for my girls. They have a built in playmate... and running partner. Reagan sprints and Maddy bounces across the floor. I can't imaging how fast she'd be if she propelled herself forward instead of up. They are way too cute playing together.

Playful weekend

This weekend was packed full of activity. I was determined to not sit at home and play inside all day. We did play some inside, but not today.

It was gorgeous outside. I can't even believe how nice. I had a photo shoot and Jim brought the girls up to Ault Park to join me and Jordan.

We played in the open field with soccer balls for a while. Maddy was so protective of "her" soccer ball. She kicked it down the field a bit... as far as her little legs would carry her. She would run up to it and kick it and do it again. Jim would run along side her to keep her going. She got distracted some by the mulch on the side of the grass. She'd, of course, bend over to look at it. Glad she likes nature.

Reagan played quite a bit with Jordan. Those two got a little heated at times. Reagan wanted to play her way. Most of the time that was fine. It's interesting to watch to "first borns" interact. Reagan can kick the ball pretty far and hard now. I was totally impressed. Not only that, she will run like crazy to get it. Impressive she has that in her. I really don't get to see her run like that often.

After we got done with playing ball, we drove over to the jungle gym at the same park. Reagan immediately fell off the swings. I think she was playing on the "big girl" swings and her butt was too small to stay on them. She came over crying in Jordan's arms. So sad. She straightened up a bit and went to find another thing to play on.

Maddy wanted to swing. Jim pushed her for a long time before she got tired of it. Jordan and Reagan played on the swings for quite some time as well while Maddy and I played on the jungle gyms.

After a bit, it was time to go home. Maddy was exhausted. I put her down for a nap - it didn't take her too long to settle in for her nap. Reagan gave up too. She sat on her bean bag in the living room, turned on Dragon Tails and zoned out. Jordan wasn't much different.

So much fun.

Naked time

Apparently tonight was naked night. Reagan went into the restroom and did her thing. She eventually poked her head out and asked if she could have naked time. That's never a safe bet.

I said okay.

She comes out a runnin' and yellin' for Maddy to get naked.

Then Maddy stripped down with Reagan's help and they just took off running around the entire house.
They ran for a really long time. They'd stop and catch their breathe every once in a while. But then they'd start up again.

When they got really tired, they pulled out the markers and colored on the coffee table naked.

SOmething about running free...

Me do it!

Maddy has been shouting lately "me do it!" with a lot of gusto. It applies to just about everything she does.  Most of the time, it's when we are reading books. She likes to sit down in her room with all her dollies and animals around her on the floor and read them books. Too cute.

Once I bring her onto my lap to read books, she shouts out "me do it!" So I have to let her. She reads to me first. :)

One leg up and one leg down

The last few days I've picked Maddy up, I've noticed her pant leg was pulled up. NOt both, just one. The right one. Interesting. Her teacher was giggling at her because she had just done it. Maddy  has gotten into the habit of pulling up one pant leg every time she goes potty and then also her sleeves. Why is that comfortable? I don't know. But if you try to pull them down, she gets really mad. :)

Pouting Maddy

Apparently, when Maddy gets her feelings hurt, she immediately plops down on the floor and sulks. Literally. It's honestly very sad to watch. She just sits and hangs her head and doesn't make a peep. Nothing.

When you try to go over and talk to her, she has no interest in coming out of her funk. It's all in her own time. Not surprising.

Check on me Mommy

So when Jim started going out of town, I had to figure out how to manage all the girls every morning and evening. Book reader for bed, server, travel coordinator. I was everything.  I quickly came up with getting the little ones both ready for bed and then setting Reagan up in her room with books or my iPad - a nifty treat if she was behaving.

Maddy came to realize quickly that I was doing it all. I would read her books and say prayers. Then she'd say "sing a song momma". So I would. After two songs, I'd snuggle a little bit and say "mommy has to go put Reagan in bed now".

I guess she's gotten used to that.

Tonight, right after songs, she said "momma, put me in bed and come back later. Say goodnight to Reagan mommy".

My heart melted. I wanted to just stay longer becuase she was being so sweet, but knew I had to put the big sister in bed too.

My little hootie.

Reagan woke me up

Last night, Reagan scared me to death. Apparently I had fallen asleep on the couch with my computer on my lap. This is a common occurrence in our home.  But last night, I had just fallen asleep when she appeared by my side. She just stood there watching. I woke up becuase I ws dreaming about someone standing next to me.

I jumped. She was crying. She wanted mommy in her bed with her. I must have just dosed off long enough for her to sneak up on me. So I walked upstairs with her and crawled into her bed. She snuggled right up on my arm and went right back to sleep.

So did I. :)

Karate girl

Tonight, we went to karate. She went kicking and screaming. "I hate karate mommy" So we went. We got in there. "I don't want to get dressed mommy". So she did.

As soon as her belt was tied, she ran to the edge of the floor and watched. She watched the upper belts workout. Smiling the whole time. As soon as it was time for her to go onto the floor, she ran. She ran fast - as fast as she could.

She was first in line. She was the loudest doing her one-steps. She loved it.

By the end of it, she was holding hands with Charity and loving life.

Love her!

Again mommy

Tonight, I was getting Maddy ready for bed and she was just not having any part of it. She was resisting every effort to get her night clothes on and I was out of options. ZERBERT! Yes, I resorted to the traditional zerbert. It's a great giggle tool.

She gave it up. She started laughing and wouldn't start. Her laugh is infectious. Then she wanted more. "more mommy" So I did. "Do it again mommy". I did. "One more time mommy". Really? "Again mommy". How funny. Guess she likes it.

Playing with props

So today I got my new props out - the backdrop stand and the drapes that go with it. It's HUGE! Oh my. We got some good test shots. The girls played along with me today. It was sweet. I got some good Valentines Day shots and just some sweet sister shots.  I am way too excited about being able to do pictures at home.

Missing Daddy

Tonight, the girls were missing daddy. He left town again today for a week. We are holding down the fort without him. All girls... except Carson. He's the lone male this week. ha ha.

Maddy tonight wanted some extra soothing at bed time. She snuggled into the crease of my neck and said "one more song mommy" Love her.

Reagan wanted to snuggle until she fell asleep. She cried to talk with daddy. With his flight taking off late, it wasn't going to happen. Extra snuggling was necessary.

I think the best part about this... my girls are starting to be able to express how they are feeling. So much better than guessing. Reagan just misses her daddy. So sweet. I love her. I love Maddy. Mush! Come home soon Daddy.

Reading like crazy

Now she reads Green Eggs and Ham? Really!?? She read it tonight without much help. She did get tired of reading it about half way through. We just shared the reading at that point. She is just amazing me how much she can ready. Just blossoming every day more and more. Wow!

My little singer

Maddy has really started to play quite a bit with the microphone in the living room. It cracks me up. We got it for Reagan, but she never played with it much. She plays with it when Maddy does. So it now sits in our living room and we get "American Idol" played out in our living room frequently.

Maddy picks up the microphone and sings her bible songs or twinkle. Too cute. She gets the pedal going and pulls the stand out and spins it around. It's a whole act. Funny stuff kids!

Playing possum

Tonight, Jim and I went to the movies and left the girls with a babysitter. When we got home, she told us that Maddy had a hard time settling down, more than her normal. So she went back in a held her some. When she didn't settle down, she said loud enough that Reagan could hear "let's go check on Reagan. I bet she's sleeping and we don't want to wake her". Reagan figured it out and played possum for her.

Great big sister! Maddy saw that and settled down pretty quickly and went to sleep. Love that kid.

Endless giggles

Maddy has got the best laugh ever. She laughs so easily and her laugh is just contagious. All you have to do is pretend to tickle her and she just starts laughing. She especially loves to get her bee-bo tickled.

Reading is taking off

Holy Cow! She is really taking off. The other night, she read "Go, Dog, Go". She's done that a few nights in a row. Tonight, she read me one of my favorite kid books - "A Monster at the end of the Book". I'm so impressed. She is getting so confident in her reading and other skills. She also starting to talk a lot more about what she does at school. I guess she is finally getting in to the whole school thing a bit.

Playing Jacks

Reagan is learning how to play jacks. I honestly forgot how hard it is to learn that skill. I just did it and, of course, she tried to copy  me. Then I realized when she got frustrated that she needed to get the basics down first.

So we started learning. I broke it down for her and taught her how to catch with two hands first with a bounce. She got that down. We decided to break then. I'll tackle the underhand grab tomorrow.

Reading like a champ

Tonight, Reagan read her daddy the book "Go, Dog, Go"!  Way to go Reagan!

Today is Saturday and we are resting

I woke up at an early time of 6:00 because Jordan had a swim meet. When she's up, she's not really quiet. So once Jim and she left, I went downstairs to do some picture editing. I was in the mood and nobody was up to tell me I couldn't. :) For the next hour, I spent some needed time on my computer. Ahhh.

Reagan got up a little after 8:00 am. I heard her rustling around and came upstairs. There she stood - right on the bottom step, holding her blanket filled with stuffed animals and her smile. "There you are mommy". Too cute.

We hung out and did some pictures in the kitchen. Once Maddy got up, we went to get her up. She only wanted Reagan. She didn't want mommy to pick her up one bit. It was cute. She threw herself right back into her animals in her crib. No Mommy - Reagan!

Once we got her up, we just played.  It has been a really nice morning. Pretend, blocks, painting, fort, princess, tea party and all sorts of stuff.

Ahhhhh love resting.

Missing my girls

Tonight, I went to Jordan's swim meet right after work. She did awesome, of course. But I have to say I really missed my girls. As crazy as they are, I really missed seeing them tonight.   When I got home, we ate dinner and the let them play for a bit. But then it was bedtime. I got to put Maddy in bed. She's so stinkin' cute at bedtime. She wants to read so much and loves to crawl up in her chair and read to herself. Once we are done reading, we have to say prayers (or she will remind me) and then I have to sing Amazing Grace. We snuggled for so long that I almost fell asleep myself. But then she lifted her head up and pointed at her bed - it was time for her to go to sleep.

I tucked her in and quickly went to Reagan's room. She was not sleeping yet. I just crawled in with her and said goodnight. Every once in a while, I will just sleep with her. It's so peaceful to be with her. She loves it and I do too. I needed it tonight.

Anyway, I just woke up and need to get to bed myself.

Good night!

Maddy's swagger

Maddy has the goofiest way of running. She's always been one to walk and run on her toes. But in the last few months, she's started to waggle a bit when she runs. She throws her legs out to the side and then just bounces up and down as she runs forward. It might be the goofiest run I've ever seen.

Dora and Math

I guess Dora is good TV. Tonight, there was a question on the program that said "how many umbrellas do we need?" She came up with four right away. I didn't look up for a few seconds, then I got curious. She was right!! Oh My!

She giggled right after she said it. Math genius. :)

Grocery store?

Maddy is cracking me up. Today I picked her up and said we had to go to the store on the way home. She said "is it the grocery story mommy?"

Seriously?

Talking so much

Maddy is literally copying everything we say. It's amazing how well she is speaking and how long her sentences are. We can have simple conversations with her. She's able to tell us what she wants and likes to do that on a regular basis.

Four scratches and a tired little girl

Tonight, the girls were very excited and also not really wanting to go to bed. We had a big day and a bigger weekend with Reagan's birthday party. They were tired.

As we got closer to bedtime, Reagan got a tad more defiant. She didn't want to do anything I wanted her to. Poor thing. I felt bad, but still needed to prove a point. Un

Reading

Maddy loves to pretend to read. She will almost always find a ton of books and take them to her room. She will sit down amongst her animals and blanket and just read. She reads like she's actually reading the book. She looks at the pictures and is able to make up some pretty accurate stories based on her viewing of the pictures in the book.

It's just so sweet to watch her do this. I used to love watching Reagan. I'm so glad to watch Hootie too.

I want something new mommy

Maddy is so talkative and has such a wonderful ability to speak in very complete sentences. Today, I picked her up from school and she was happy to be on the way home. I turned on the TV at her request but she was unhappy with the selection in the player.  She immediately said "no mommy, I want something new".

Interesting she could do that.

Barstools and my monkey

Maddy loves to  climb on the barstools in the kitchen. She climbed up and got flaming mad when I pulled her down and told her no. She started running to the bathroom and said "I have to go potty". When we got there, she walked in and got mad when I followed her. She pushed me out of the way and ran back to the kitchen to climb up on the barstool. Do you think she had that planned???