Thursday, December 17, 2009
Snow and Cold!
WINTER has arrived and it's here to stay! Snow and Cold. Do I love it, NO. Do I tolerate it... I suppose I do live in an icebox.
Enjoying the holiday season!
I have to say that I LOVE the holidays! The craziness of Black Friday shopping at 5AM (yes, I went one week after surgery... I have the BEST Black Friday shopping partner, Mona. It's kind of become a tradition... Caribou starts the day out!)
I LOVE the Christmas music. The only two radio stations I've been listening to for about 3 weeks now are the ones that play non-stop Christmas music. And CD's... gotta love Martina's Christmas CD. And Nece... she loves her Chipmunks Christmas CD. Now, do I love that one... NO, but do I enjoy listening to it with the girls. You Bet!
The Lights! I certainly do NOT love the ridiculousness of some houses. But I will say, I do enjoy driving through the neighborhoods with the kids and looking at the lights. The more the better... according to a certain 3 year old. I do kind of have to agree. We've asked daddy to put lights up outside, and the exact wording of the response was "as soon as you decide we don't have to travel every single Christmas, I will put lights up outside for you ladies." Point taken, and that day may come sooner rather than later.
The shopping! Great deals. You just have to know when to hit the malls and there are no problems! I love to give people my lists and I love to receive lists. It's not that its impersonal and that I don't want to have to think... it just takes the stress away and you know you are giving somebody something they really want. If you give a big list, it's still a surprise!
Baking! I love baking and I love baking with my girls! This year I attempted a gingerbread house with the girls. Nope, not going to do that again... kind of like cut out cookies. My girls will never experience that with me. I did it once, and I won't do it again. We also had a marathon Saturday afternoon/evening of baking. I made cranberry-orange nut bread (yum), Oreo Balls, GingerSnaps (see the 'hot dogs' below), Grandma I's brownies, and Hazelnut cookies with Nutella topping in one day. This past weekend, I made peanut butter balls. YUMMY to all of those.
And you are wondering, what do we do with all those goodies? It has become tradition to give them to our neighbors as their Christmas present. They love the baked goods and I love to get them out of the house!
Santa- Toro hosts a Christmas party for kids most years, and this year was no exception. The kids get a treat, arts and crafts, games and a visit with Santa. This year, I was able to bring Mya along with Mona for assistance... I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
The picture above is Nece informing Santa that she'd like a Barbie Camper...
Giving- I have the opportunity to give bacways throughout the holiday season and it truly makes me appreciate everything that I have. Family, Friends, Health. There are so many people out there that don't have the ability to put a little gift under the tree for their children, put food on their table or don't have families to share the holiday season with or don't have their health. Something so simple, but in many makes you feel so worthy... ringing the Salvation Army bell. This is a tradition that I cannot wait to start with my girls. We will do this as a family as they get older... and I jump at the opportunity to do it every year through work. Truly making a difference. We also try to give every time we go in and come out of a store- teaching the true meaning of giving is better than (or just as important as receiving). Adopt-A-Family... the need is so great this year. This is another opportunity that I'm blessed to be a part of. Once again, through work, we adopt a family and help them provide. The gifts were dropped off today and words cannot even describe the gratitude of these families. To know that I've helped give them presents under the tree for their kids, provided food for their table and to give a mom a little luxury she would never be able to afford. My hope and wish one day is for our family to Adopt-A-Family... give back and bless others with a little bit of what we have. It breaks my heart to see the statistics and I wish I was able to do more... but I know deep down that every little bit counts and just a tiny donation can make a world of difference to somebody out there.
And the season in general... It's so much fun to live out the experiences you remember as a child through the eyes of your child. I look forward to many more holiday seasons with family and friends!
I LOVE the Christmas music. The only two radio stations I've been listening to for about 3 weeks now are the ones that play non-stop Christmas music. And CD's... gotta love Martina's Christmas CD. And Nece... she loves her Chipmunks Christmas CD. Now, do I love that one... NO, but do I enjoy listening to it with the girls. You Bet!
The Lights! I certainly do NOT love the ridiculousness of some houses. But I will say, I do enjoy driving through the neighborhoods with the kids and looking at the lights. The more the better... according to a certain 3 year old. I do kind of have to agree. We've asked daddy to put lights up outside, and the exact wording of the response was "as soon as you decide we don't have to travel every single Christmas, I will put lights up outside for you ladies." Point taken, and that day may come sooner rather than later.
The shopping! Great deals. You just have to know when to hit the malls and there are no problems! I love to give people my lists and I love to receive lists. It's not that its impersonal and that I don't want to have to think... it just takes the stress away and you know you are giving somebody something they really want. If you give a big list, it's still a surprise!
Baking! I love baking and I love baking with my girls! This year I attempted a gingerbread house with the girls. Nope, not going to do that again... kind of like cut out cookies. My girls will never experience that with me. I did it once, and I won't do it again. We also had a marathon Saturday afternoon/evening of baking. I made cranberry-orange nut bread (yum), Oreo Balls, GingerSnaps (see the 'hot dogs' below), Grandma I's brownies, and Hazelnut cookies with Nutella topping in one day. This past weekend, I made peanut butter balls. YUMMY to all of those.
And you are wondering, what do we do with all those goodies? It has become tradition to give them to our neighbors as their Christmas present. They love the baked goods and I love to get them out of the house!
Santa- Toro hosts a Christmas party for kids most years, and this year was no exception. The kids get a treat, arts and crafts, games and a visit with Santa. This year, I was able to bring Mya along with Mona for assistance... I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
Giving- I have the opportunity to give bacways throughout the holiday season and it truly makes me appreciate everything that I have. Family, Friends, Health. There are so many people out there that don't have the ability to put a little gift under the tree for their children, put food on their table or don't have families to share the holiday season with or don't have their health. Something so simple, but in many makes you feel so worthy... ringing the Salvation Army bell. This is a tradition that I cannot wait to start with my girls. We will do this as a family as they get older... and I jump at the opportunity to do it every year through work. Truly making a difference. We also try to give every time we go in and come out of a store- teaching the true meaning of giving is better than (or just as important as receiving). Adopt-A-Family... the need is so great this year. This is another opportunity that I'm blessed to be a part of. Once again, through work, we adopt a family and help them provide. The gifts were dropped off today and words cannot even describe the gratitude of these families. To know that I've helped give them presents under the tree for their kids, provided food for their table and to give a mom a little luxury she would never be able to afford. My hope and wish one day is for our family to Adopt-A-Family... give back and bless others with a little bit of what we have. It breaks my heart to see the statistics and I wish I was able to do more... but I know deep down that every little bit counts and just a tiny donation can make a world of difference to somebody out there.
And the season in general... It's so much fun to live out the experiences you remember as a child through the eyes of your child. I look forward to many more holiday seasons with family and friends!
Auntie Cindy's Visit
The weekend before my surgery Auntie Cindy came for a visit and it could not have come at a better time. It was Marc's second straight weekend of working ridiculous hours, a week before my surgery with lots to do and it had been awhile since Cindy got some good quality time with the girls.
After a fun-filled night at the Mall, we headed to the van to go home. All doors closed, all seatbelts buckled and I put the van into reverse. DING, DING, DING in the most ridiculous high pitched sound you could imagine. Between Cindy and myself, we screwed around with slamming doors, buckling and unbuckling seatbelts, closing the hood, turning the van off and on numerous times and there was NOTHING to stop the DING, DING, DING. So what did we do... drove home listening to DING, DING, DING the ENTIRE time and after the 25 minute drive we were ready to be put in the loony bin. Thankfully the next morning, afer driving back to Bloomington (25 more minutes of DING, DING, DING, I was able to get it into a shop and have the computer on the van reset. THANK GOODNESS.
If you don't know this, here is your lesson for the day- do NOT EVER put your care in anything but Park if there is a door open. It can mess with the sensors and the computer, and it doesn't have to screw it up right away. (your welcome from sending you to the point of craziness)
And while I was a breakfast club and Daddy was working (another 24 hour/close to it) shift, Auntie Cindy, Nece and Franny kept themselves busy with breakfast, lunch, playing and baking cookies. When I got home it was oh so peaceful. But everybody knows that doesn't last long in our house, as our lovely Franny takes cat naps and she was up before we knew it.
So, how did we start the weekend out?!!? Of course by picking her up and going straight to the Mall of America for some good ole rides. Auntie Cindy didn't realize it beforehand, but she 'can't do' the Swings anymore. She found herself white, clammy, ready to get sick and people staring at her. Nece couldn't stop telling us that Auntie Cindy was scared.
After a fun-filled night at the Mall, we headed to the van to go home. All doors closed, all seatbelts buckled and I put the van into reverse. DING, DING, DING in the most ridiculous high pitched sound you could imagine. Between Cindy and myself, we screwed around with slamming doors, buckling and unbuckling seatbelts, closing the hood, turning the van off and on numerous times and there was NOTHING to stop the DING, DING, DING. So what did we do... drove home listening to DING, DING, DING the ENTIRE time and after the 25 minute drive we were ready to be put in the loony bin. Thankfully the next morning, afer driving back to Bloomington (25 more minutes of DING, DING, DING, I was able to get it into a shop and have the computer on the van reset. THANK GOODNESS.
If you don't know this, here is your lesson for the day- do NOT EVER put your care in anything but Park if there is a door open. It can mess with the sensors and the computer, and it doesn't have to screw it up right away. (your welcome from sending you to the point of craziness)
And while I was a breakfast club and Daddy was working (another 24 hour/close to it) shift, Auntie Cindy, Nece and Franny kept themselves busy with breakfast, lunch, playing and baking cookies. When I got home it was oh so peaceful. But everybody knows that doesn't last long in our house, as our lovely Franny takes cat naps and she was up before we knew it.
Now, it was the weekend of November 12... and 2 weeks before Thanksgiving, but there was ONE goal of the weekend. We HAD to get our Christmas tree up. I know, early, but considering the Nov 20 surgery, recovery time and that we always have to travel for the holidays it was this weekend or a really short time to enjoy Christmas decorations. So, early this year it was!
And since early November, we've been enjoying our tree and constantly moving the ornaments around!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
So behind, but not forgotten!
I have a couple posts sitting in the draft mode and I need to finalize them before I publish... adding pictures to these blog posts is not the easiest. So what's sitting there and waiting... leaves, Cindy's visit, and getting ready for the holidays with a visit to Santa, decorating a gingerbread house and a marathon day of baking. Soon, I promise... but the priority this week is getting Christmas cards designed and ordered so they get in the mail.
Two quick things without pictures, so very easy to capture.
Nece... let's just say that we're going through a testing stage. It's constant whining until somebody gets her way. God, that kid is strong-willed. Needless to say, it makes for VERY long days/evenings when she is in this mood. We (or should I say I) know we can't always give in because it'll make it worse. So, Sunday night at dinner she wanted a piece of bread. I had half left and gave it to her (knowing that she'd take one bite and tell me her tummy is full)... oh no, that isn't what she wanted. She wanted her OWN piece. Not wanting to deal with that battle, but not wanting her to waste it, I gave her a piece of bread and told her that she is going to sit at this table and eat the bread even if it's til the cows come home.
She takes a couple bites and looks at me, "Mommy, I don't want the cows to come home."
What Nece?
I don't want the cows to come home... they will scare Hazel and Reggie.
Oh honey, the cows aren't going to come home.
You said they will come home. I don't want the cows to come home, they will scare Hazel and Reggie.
I somehow got out of that one, and she ate 3/4 of the bread I was positive she wasn't going to eat. Whew, that kid surprises me sometimes. And the remainder of the night, I heard 'member, you said the cows will come home. I don't want them to come home... they will scare Hazel and Reggie.'
And Franny... my little climbing daredevil. This kid is going to end up in the emergency room at some point. Anything and everything she can climb on, she does... it's enough to make my heart stop on a daily basis.
But, she had her 15 month check-up last week. She looks great. That little peanut weighed in at 19 lbs 14 oz. Come on Franny, let's break 20 lbs soon! She continues to be in the 5th percentile. She is 30 inches tall, which is also around the 10th percentile and I think they said her head was 18 inches, which is in the 50th percentile. So, we continue to keep plugging away and watch her grow and develop.
Til, sooner rather than later with my updates that include pictures!
Two quick things without pictures, so very easy to capture.
Nece... let's just say that we're going through a testing stage. It's constant whining until somebody gets her way. God, that kid is strong-willed. Needless to say, it makes for VERY long days/evenings when she is in this mood. We (or should I say I) know we can't always give in because it'll make it worse. So, Sunday night at dinner she wanted a piece of bread. I had half left and gave it to her (knowing that she'd take one bite and tell me her tummy is full)... oh no, that isn't what she wanted. She wanted her OWN piece. Not wanting to deal with that battle, but not wanting her to waste it, I gave her a piece of bread and told her that she is going to sit at this table and eat the bread even if it's til the cows come home.
She takes a couple bites and looks at me, "Mommy, I don't want the cows to come home."
What Nece?
I don't want the cows to come home... they will scare Hazel and Reggie.
Oh honey, the cows aren't going to come home.
You said they will come home. I don't want the cows to come home, they will scare Hazel and Reggie.
I somehow got out of that one, and she ate 3/4 of the bread I was positive she wasn't going to eat. Whew, that kid surprises me sometimes. And the remainder of the night, I heard 'member, you said the cows will come home. I don't want them to come home... they will scare Hazel and Reggie.'
And Franny... my little climbing daredevil. This kid is going to end up in the emergency room at some point. Anything and everything she can climb on, she does... it's enough to make my heart stop on a daily basis.
But, she had her 15 month check-up last week. She looks great. That little peanut weighed in at 19 lbs 14 oz. Come on Franny, let's break 20 lbs soon! She continues to be in the 5th percentile. She is 30 inches tall, which is also around the 10th percentile and I think they said her head was 18 inches, which is in the 50th percentile. So, we continue to keep plugging away and watch her grow and develop.
Til, sooner rather than later with my updates that include pictures!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
The BIG day!
This month has been extremely busy with planning for my big surgery on November 20, a visit from Auntie Cindy and daddy working weekend shifts of 24 plus hours. So where have we been and what have we been doing?
After many months of planning, squaring everything away with insurance, losing weight and getting excited November 20 was on the horizon. And that date was coming fast and furious. Knowing that I was having surgery, the list-maker and planner I am... I wanted to make sure that I had everything covered. So, this house got a major cleaning, I visited Let's Dish and made 10 meals, I stock-piled at the grocery store, Petsmart, made sure all Christmas decorations got up, got a jump start on Christmas shopping, got the girls packed and ready to go for a visit to grandma and grandpa M's and continued with the day to day duties of working, being a mom and being a wife. It seemed like it the day was never going to arrive and all of a sudden it was HERE! And how did I explain to Nece what was about to happen...
On Thursday night while eating pizza...
Nece, we have to have a talk.
Okay, mom.
You know grandma is coming tonight, right?
Yep.
When you get up in the morning, grandma is going to be here. Daddy has to take mommy to the doctor.
What hurts?
Well, the doctor is going to fix my boobs.
Okay.
End of conversation.
So, how did the surgery go?!?!
Good, if I must say so myself. Marc tells people that I look like Frankenstein with all the stiches and markings. Friday and Saturday I was completely out of it and didn't know very much. Marc was THE BEST. He made sure I had anything and everything I could ever need, he checked on me hourly to make sure I was okay, he even set my tray up with a bell and the 1st two nights set an alarm for every four hours to get me my medicine. Yes, a bell, if I needed him and he was outside, I had instructions to call his cell and if he was inside and in a different room, all I had to do was 'ring the bell'. Between he and Mona they started bandage changes on Saturday and Marc's been able to do it himself the last couple days. Still swollen, bruised, but looking better every day (so I'm told). On Sunday, I started to get more coherent, Monday I started stretching timeframes between the drugs, and by Tuesday I was essentially completely off the drugs and Wednesday I made my first trip out of the house by myself. Oh, how I enjoyed walking through the mall and pre-shopping for Friday morning!
There are definite limitations and I knew about those. No lifting greater than 10 lbs for 2-4 weeks... that's going to be interesting once Franny gets home. I can't really lift my arms more than parallel to the ground and if I go too far... my body reminds me very quickly, slow down. Showers take forever, but I'm getting better and better at it. We all know I am an independent person, and it is very hard for me to accept help, but I have NO choice. And I've been asking for help whenever I need it (which is alot).
The girls were going to come home this past Sunday (2 days post-surgery), but we decided to leave them at Grandma's for the week. According to grandma, they haven't asked for either of us once, they don't seem to act like they are missing us and when I called tonight, Nece didn't want to talk to me. Boy, I hope she's not angry at us... if she is we'll deal with it.
So, after a busy month of planning, I feel like it was all worth it. My 'work' around the house is pretty minimal, meals are planned and prepared for the next couple weeks, I have a husband that has been fantastic and my girls are coming home within 48 hours!
After many months of planning, squaring everything away with insurance, losing weight and getting excited November 20 was on the horizon. And that date was coming fast and furious. Knowing that I was having surgery, the list-maker and planner I am... I wanted to make sure that I had everything covered. So, this house got a major cleaning, I visited Let's Dish and made 10 meals, I stock-piled at the grocery store, Petsmart, made sure all Christmas decorations got up, got a jump start on Christmas shopping, got the girls packed and ready to go for a visit to grandma and grandpa M's and continued with the day to day duties of working, being a mom and being a wife. It seemed like it the day was never going to arrive and all of a sudden it was HERE! And how did I explain to Nece what was about to happen...
On Thursday night while eating pizza...
Nece, we have to have a talk.
Okay, mom.
You know grandma is coming tonight, right?
Yep.
When you get up in the morning, grandma is going to be here. Daddy has to take mommy to the doctor.
What hurts?
Well, the doctor is going to fix my boobs.
Okay.
End of conversation.
So, how did the surgery go?!?!
Good, if I must say so myself. Marc tells people that I look like Frankenstein with all the stiches and markings. Friday and Saturday I was completely out of it and didn't know very much. Marc was THE BEST. He made sure I had anything and everything I could ever need, he checked on me hourly to make sure I was okay, he even set my tray up with a bell and the 1st two nights set an alarm for every four hours to get me my medicine. Yes, a bell, if I needed him and he was outside, I had instructions to call his cell and if he was inside and in a different room, all I had to do was 'ring the bell'. Between he and Mona they started bandage changes on Saturday and Marc's been able to do it himself the last couple days. Still swollen, bruised, but looking better every day (so I'm told). On Sunday, I started to get more coherent, Monday I started stretching timeframes between the drugs, and by Tuesday I was essentially completely off the drugs and Wednesday I made my first trip out of the house by myself. Oh, how I enjoyed walking through the mall and pre-shopping for Friday morning!
There are definite limitations and I knew about those. No lifting greater than 10 lbs for 2-4 weeks... that's going to be interesting once Franny gets home. I can't really lift my arms more than parallel to the ground and if I go too far... my body reminds me very quickly, slow down. Showers take forever, but I'm getting better and better at it. We all know I am an independent person, and it is very hard for me to accept help, but I have NO choice. And I've been asking for help whenever I need it (which is alot).
The girls were going to come home this past Sunday (2 days post-surgery), but we decided to leave them at Grandma's for the week. According to grandma, they haven't asked for either of us once, they don't seem to act like they are missing us and when I called tonight, Nece didn't want to talk to me. Boy, I hope she's not angry at us... if she is we'll deal with it.
So, after a busy month of planning, I feel like it was all worth it. My 'work' around the house is pretty minimal, meals are planned and prepared for the next couple weeks, I have a husband that has been fantastic and my girls are coming home within 48 hours!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Swimming Lessons comes to an end...
So, last night was the last night of swimming lessons! Nece absolutely loves Tuesday nights with mom and going to swimming lessons. Every night as we'd hop out of the van and walk up to swimming lessons, she'd hold my hand, grin from ear to ear, hardly contain her excitement and tell me 'this is gonna be so fun, mom'!!!
She knew the entire process from hollaring at me while I drove "MOM... there it is".
We'd get out of the car, walk up to the doors and hit the handicapped buttons that were clearly marked "children should not play with these buttons".
Walk past the pool and I'd hear something like, "mom, there's the pool".
Down the stairs... as we held up others and she would typically tell everybody 'there are alot of stairs, or mom, we're going down the stairs'.
Into the locker room... that was always interesting. Very intrigued by all the old naked ladies, announced to everybody that 'my potty is coming out or I have to poop' to wanting her own cupboard (locker). Putting everything into the cupboard and off to the pool area we'd go.
Favorite games in the water were definitely motor boat, hokey pokey and running on the mat. They had a mat that helped the kids balance on the water and they could jump off it into our arms... LOVED that part of every evening.
After swimming lessons, we'd play in the water for awhile until she'd tell me that we're done, I have to go potty.
It only took me about five weeks to realize that I could've killed two birds with one stone and instead of 'rinsing off the pool water' and coming home to shower, we could just take a shower at the Community Center. Made life easier for me, and Nece liked taking showers there... it was something different.
Last night we received our "Certificate of Participation" and Nece was proud as a peach. It's hanging on her mirror in her bedroom. Better than the living room wall which was the first place she wanted to put it.
We talked a bit about do you want to go to swimming lessons without mommy, like the other big kids? And here is what I've been hearing for the past couple weeks, "Mom, one more time I go to swimming lessons with you, and then I go ALL by myself. I a big girl! You can drive me and I go all by myself."
So there you have it, Nece will move up to the next group and go to lessons on her own beginning in January! So, it's either 2 activites in the winter or just swimming lessons again, we haven't decided. The other option we're looking at is tumbling. We'll see...
She knew the entire process from hollaring at me while I drove "MOM... there it is".
We'd get out of the car, walk up to the doors and hit the handicapped buttons that were clearly marked "children should not play with these buttons".
Walk past the pool and I'd hear something like, "mom, there's the pool".
Down the stairs... as we held up others and she would typically tell everybody 'there are alot of stairs, or mom, we're going down the stairs'.
Into the locker room... that was always interesting. Very intrigued by all the old naked ladies, announced to everybody that 'my potty is coming out or I have to poop' to wanting her own cupboard (locker). Putting everything into the cupboard and off to the pool area we'd go.
Favorite games in the water were definitely motor boat, hokey pokey and running on the mat. They had a mat that helped the kids balance on the water and they could jump off it into our arms... LOVED that part of every evening.
After swimming lessons, we'd play in the water for awhile until she'd tell me that we're done, I have to go potty.
It only took me about five weeks to realize that I could've killed two birds with one stone and instead of 'rinsing off the pool water' and coming home to shower, we could just take a shower at the Community Center. Made life easier for me, and Nece liked taking showers there... it was something different.
Last night we received our "Certificate of Participation" and Nece was proud as a peach. It's hanging on her mirror in her bedroom. Better than the living room wall which was the first place she wanted to put it.
We talked a bit about do you want to go to swimming lessons without mommy, like the other big kids? And here is what I've been hearing for the past couple weeks, "Mom, one more time I go to swimming lessons with you, and then I go ALL by myself. I a big girl! You can drive me and I go all by myself."
So there you have it, Nece will move up to the next group and go to lessons on her own beginning in January! So, it's either 2 activites in the winter or just swimming lessons again, we haven't decided. The other option we're looking at is tumbling. We'll see...
Monday, November 2, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Franny's not getting the shaft...
As I posted last night, and reviewed the blog quickly this morning, it looks like Franny is getting the shaft. Obviously this is not intentional... it just seems easier to tell 3 year old stories. So... what are the latest happenings with Franny on her 14 month birthday!
- we had our 2nd flu shot yesterday. fun stuff, i know
- she's still little... but we've now graduated into the 12 month clothes! FINALLY, I was getting so bored with her other stuff
- within the last couple days, I've noticed that her 7th tooth has popped through (and it was one of the eye teeth, hello crabbiness)
- she is cruising around EVERYWHERE; this kid doesn't just toddle around, she runs
- she is into EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING. It's like a little tornado has gone through... we move from the kitchen to the living room, to Nece's room with the toys to the bathroom. Funny thing though, she doesn't really rip her room apart. And the basement, I should just take a picture after she's been in the play kitchen and has everything completely ripped apart.
- she feels the need to be a climber. This kid can get herself onto the bed, couch, chairs, and my personal favorite... is when I find her standing in the middle of the kitchen table with a little grin on her face like "I know I'm not supposed to do this, but here I am... what are you gonna do!"
- she is STILL a mama's girl and loves to be with me. She still is my little snuggler and I love that
- she isn't talking much... that we can understand, just the chinese babble. She does say mama, dad, and done consistently
- she loves to get right in the middle and wrestle with her sister and dad
- Marc makes this weird voice and she can imatate it like no other... it cracks us up every time
- recently, she's started to help with little 'chores' around the house. She puts the dog bowls where they belong after Nece's fed them, she gives Reggie treats every morning (while Nece does Hazel), she closes the dishwasher when I'm putting stuff away, she puts Nece's pull-up in the garbage every morning, she gets her shoes and jacket
And that is a quick snapshot of what Franny is currently up to!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Holy Buckets... Where did October go?
WOW! It's been 21 days since I last updated... where have I been and what have I been doing this month? I DON'T know, but obviously the computer hasn't been a priority. Let's see if I can go through the last 3 weeks in my head and see what we've been up to! Maybe moving backwards will get me to the first of the month!
Daddy has been working ALOT. That is the nature of the beast this time of year. Weather cooperates, dad works. The month of October and November are crazy for dad, so it's lots of time 'just us girls'. And what does that mean... mommy finds stuff to do because being home too much causes stir-crazy mommys and kiddos and then nobody is happy.
This past weekend... we started on Friday night visiting with our friends Keith and Nance, Todd and Carrie. It was great to see all them and let the girls play/visit. Once the candy was discovered... Nece was in heaven! She takes after me and LOVES her candy! I had part 3 of her photography class on Saturday morning. The girls got to spend some much overdue time with Emmie. My workshop was good, but a fairly decent time commitment over the last four weeks, so now its putting all the learning into practice. Saturday afternoon, we were lazy bums... cleaned and worked on ripping the final stuff out of the garden. Big task completed! YEAH! Sunday... what a FUN day! I headed off to the apple orchard with the girls (and the rest of MN residents) for a beautiful Sunday filled with a wagon ride, walking through the apple orchard, having an apple right from the trees, and then finally off for a special treat! A great way to spend one of the only beautiful fall days we've had all season!
The previous weekend there wasn't much planned... until grandma called and let us know that she was going to be at the waterpark overnight with Jon, David and a couple of their friends! We had a great night and holy buckets... I don't have ANY idea where Nece gets all her energy. She was rip, roarin and ready to go, while the rest of us were dead dog tired! Daddy had a rare Saturday morning off and had the opportunity to go to the Gophers game and said the new stadium was incredible!
And the weekend before that... let's see how good my memory is. Honestly, it's not that great, and looking at our calendar it looks like we didn't do much. And if I'm remembering clearly, I think we did have a fairly quiet weekend at the beginning of October. We probably enjoyed decent weather outside, played and made sure we caught up on everything!
And Tuesday nights... we go to swimming lessons! They've been going well. Of course one week a kid pooped in the pool and we had lessons in the big pool and let me tell you that water was freezing and it was miserable! Nece is doing well with the lessons and gets excited every Tuesday night. A funny from this week, as this was our conversation in the pool in the middle of the class:
Mommies have big boobies and daddys have little boobies, right?
Yes, Nece.
Mommy, why?
Nece, that's the way God made us.
Mommy... I have little boobies, but when I get to be big like you, I'm going to have big boobies too.
Next topic. Done and quick... except this conversation had to happen in front of the only dad in the class! Fabulous!!!
And the locker room talk. Use your imagination... lets just say the ladies that are regulars just giggle to themselves as they listen to our conversations. Most notably last night when I was informed (very loudly) that Nece wasn't going potty... just poopy! And as she flushed, she proclaimed her famous line:
BYE Poopies! Don't come back!!!
I'm sure there are more highlights... but that's all that is on the top of my head at the moment! It took alot to pull the computer out, but I know with Halloween coming up... I will have more to post in a week!
Til sooner rather than later... lets hope!
Daddy has been working ALOT. That is the nature of the beast this time of year. Weather cooperates, dad works. The month of October and November are crazy for dad, so it's lots of time 'just us girls'. And what does that mean... mommy finds stuff to do because being home too much causes stir-crazy mommys and kiddos and then nobody is happy.
This past weekend... we started on Friday night visiting with our friends Keith and Nance, Todd and Carrie. It was great to see all them and let the girls play/visit. Once the candy was discovered... Nece was in heaven! She takes after me and LOVES her candy! I had part 3 of her photography class on Saturday morning. The girls got to spend some much overdue time with Emmie. My workshop was good, but a fairly decent time commitment over the last four weeks, so now its putting all the learning into practice. Saturday afternoon, we were lazy bums... cleaned and worked on ripping the final stuff out of the garden. Big task completed! YEAH! Sunday... what a FUN day! I headed off to the apple orchard with the girls (and the rest of MN residents) for a beautiful Sunday filled with a wagon ride, walking through the apple orchard, having an apple right from the trees, and then finally off for a special treat! A great way to spend one of the only beautiful fall days we've had all season!
The previous weekend there wasn't much planned... until grandma called and let us know that she was going to be at the waterpark overnight with Jon, David and a couple of their friends! We had a great night and holy buckets... I don't have ANY idea where Nece gets all her energy. She was rip, roarin and ready to go, while the rest of us were dead dog tired! Daddy had a rare Saturday morning off and had the opportunity to go to the Gophers game and said the new stadium was incredible!
And the weekend before that... let's see how good my memory is. Honestly, it's not that great, and looking at our calendar it looks like we didn't do much. And if I'm remembering clearly, I think we did have a fairly quiet weekend at the beginning of October. We probably enjoyed decent weather outside, played and made sure we caught up on everything!
And Tuesday nights... we go to swimming lessons! They've been going well. Of course one week a kid pooped in the pool and we had lessons in the big pool and let me tell you that water was freezing and it was miserable! Nece is doing well with the lessons and gets excited every Tuesday night. A funny from this week, as this was our conversation in the pool in the middle of the class:
Mommies have big boobies and daddys have little boobies, right?
Yes, Nece.
Mommy, why?
Nece, that's the way God made us.
Mommy... I have little boobies, but when I get to be big like you, I'm going to have big boobies too.
Next topic. Done and quick... except this conversation had to happen in front of the only dad in the class! Fabulous!!!
And the locker room talk. Use your imagination... lets just say the ladies that are regulars just giggle to themselves as they listen to our conversations. Most notably last night when I was informed (very loudly) that Nece wasn't going potty... just poopy! And as she flushed, she proclaimed her famous line:
BYE Poopies! Don't come back!!!
I'm sure there are more highlights... but that's all that is on the top of my head at the moment! It took alot to pull the computer out, but I know with Halloween coming up... I will have more to post in a week!
Til sooner rather than later... lets hope!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...
Halloween is approaching and I'm stressing out! I know that Nece has definite opinions and if I don't include her in the costume decision she's going to buck the system and it's not going to be good.
I know in the back of my head, she wants to be a princess. This isn't too hard to figure out, considering we come home every day, she walks into her room and puts on the following: a crown, Cinderella or Tinkerbell skirt, red winter scarf, high heels (yes, high heels) and finally carries the wand around.
I wanted to use a nice warm, cozy Ladybug costume for Franny, but then thought it would be cute to coordinate the girls. So... I started on a quest to come up with something and chatted with friends. The BEST one I've gotten thus far is Dora and Boots. How cute would Franny be dressed up as a little monkey?!?!
So, I had the costume discussion with Nece this morning:
Mom, I want to be a princess and Franny too.
Do you think Franny should be Boots and you can be Dora?
No, mom… I be Cinarella and Franny wants to be Ariel.
Fast forward 5 minutes.
Mom… boots is a monkey.
I know Nece, should Franny be a monkey for Halloween and you can be Dora?
No mom, I told you. I be Cinarella and Franny be Ariel.
So... what to do? That is the question! I'm going to have a repeat of this conversation this evening. If I get the same answers, I know she's pretty serious, and will oblige! If we get different answers, I may do what I want to do and bring princess dress up clothes as a back-up on Halloween!
I know in the back of my head, she wants to be a princess. This isn't too hard to figure out, considering we come home every day, she walks into her room and puts on the following: a crown, Cinderella or Tinkerbell skirt, red winter scarf, high heels (yes, high heels) and finally carries the wand around.
I wanted to use a nice warm, cozy Ladybug costume for Franny, but then thought it would be cute to coordinate the girls. So... I started on a quest to come up with something and chatted with friends. The BEST one I've gotten thus far is Dora and Boots. How cute would Franny be dressed up as a little monkey?!?!
So, I had the costume discussion with Nece this morning:
Mom, I want to be a princess and Franny too.
Do you think Franny should be Boots and you can be Dora?
No, mom… I be Cinarella and Franny wants to be Ariel.
Fast forward 5 minutes.
Mom… boots is a monkey.
I know Nece, should Franny be a monkey for Halloween and you can be Dora?
No mom, I told you. I be Cinarella and Franny be Ariel.
So... what to do? That is the question! I'm going to have a repeat of this conversation this evening. If I get the same answers, I know she's pretty serious, and will oblige! If we get different answers, I may do what I want to do and bring princess dress up clothes as a back-up on Halloween!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Swimming Lessons
Monday evening at dinner we broke the news to Nece that we were going to take swimming lessons. I fully anticipated her to be excited, and for that reason we chose to keep it under wraps until the last minute.
As expected, she was VERY excited. It's the last thing she talked about before bed, the first thing she talked about Tuesday morning, and proudly announced to Sue that we were taking swimming lessons. I wasn't worried about doing this with her AT ALL.
Tuesday, I pulled into the driveway about 5PM. Nece was obviously very excited to see me, as I wasn't out of the van and she was at the side...
"Mommy, I have my bathing suit on. I ready to go."
"Okay, Nece. Mommy needs to change and we'll go pretty soon."
That had to be the LONGEST 35 minutes of this kids life. Asking every 2 minutes "is it time to go?"
Finally, all packed up and ready to go. We drive over... talking about how we aren't here to 'just swim', we have to listen to the teacher, and no crying when it's time to leave. OK mom... we're in total agreement.
I pulled into the parking lot and went to Nece's side. Oh my gosh, if I could have captured the grin on this kids face and the pure joy as she clapped her hands.
Into the community center we go. Into the locker room. Put our stuff away and out to the pool area. We're about 5 minutes early, so we play in the water.
Then... I started to notice, we were the only ones without bright pink wristbands and I looked at the clock. It was about 6PM (start time) and I didn't really see any instructor like person.
6:05- nothing.
6:10- seriously, I'm starting to get mad. How can the instructor be late. Granted, it's probably a high school or college kid, but how rude.
Finally, I go over to the lifeguard and ask... are we in the right place for swimming lessons tonight?
I'm sorry, there are no lessons tonight. They start next week.
Oh, no. How am I going to explain this to a 3 year old that cannot contain her excitement?
Simply put, "Nece, mommy screwed up. There are no swimming lessons tonight. We have to wait one more week."
Definitely only partially registering. But no meltdown. My next thing, how in the heck am I going to get this kid out of the pool?
After about 10 minutes of playing in the water together, I get the words I was hoping to hear, "mommy, I have to go potty."
SWEET! Easy exit on this one. No tears and fully satisfied with her 25 minutes of playing in the water.
We arrived home, and daddy excitedly asked, "Nece, how were swimming lessons?"
"We didn't get to have swimming lessons. Mommy screwed up."
Daddy looked at me all confused and I had to admit, next week. I was wrong on my dates.
Shoot! We'll try again next week. I've already double checked start date and start time. Let's hope next Tuesday is as simple as this past Tuesday was for 'fake swimming lessons'.
As expected, she was VERY excited. It's the last thing she talked about before bed, the first thing she talked about Tuesday morning, and proudly announced to Sue that we were taking swimming lessons. I wasn't worried about doing this with her AT ALL.
Tuesday, I pulled into the driveway about 5PM. Nece was obviously very excited to see me, as I wasn't out of the van and she was at the side...
"Mommy, I have my bathing suit on. I ready to go."
"Okay, Nece. Mommy needs to change and we'll go pretty soon."
That had to be the LONGEST 35 minutes of this kids life. Asking every 2 minutes "is it time to go?"
Finally, all packed up and ready to go. We drive over... talking about how we aren't here to 'just swim', we have to listen to the teacher, and no crying when it's time to leave. OK mom... we're in total agreement.
I pulled into the parking lot and went to Nece's side. Oh my gosh, if I could have captured the grin on this kids face and the pure joy as she clapped her hands.
Into the community center we go. Into the locker room. Put our stuff away and out to the pool area. We're about 5 minutes early, so we play in the water.
Then... I started to notice, we were the only ones without bright pink wristbands and I looked at the clock. It was about 6PM (start time) and I didn't really see any instructor like person.
6:05- nothing.
6:10- seriously, I'm starting to get mad. How can the instructor be late. Granted, it's probably a high school or college kid, but how rude.
Finally, I go over to the lifeguard and ask... are we in the right place for swimming lessons tonight?
I'm sorry, there are no lessons tonight. They start next week.
Oh, no. How am I going to explain this to a 3 year old that cannot contain her excitement?
Simply put, "Nece, mommy screwed up. There are no swimming lessons tonight. We have to wait one more week."
Definitely only partially registering. But no meltdown. My next thing, how in the heck am I going to get this kid out of the pool?
After about 10 minutes of playing in the water together, I get the words I was hoping to hear, "mommy, I have to go potty."
SWEET! Easy exit on this one. No tears and fully satisfied with her 25 minutes of playing in the water.
We arrived home, and daddy excitedly asked, "Nece, how were swimming lessons?"
"We didn't get to have swimming lessons. Mommy screwed up."
Daddy looked at me all confused and I had to admit, next week. I was wrong on my dates.
Shoot! We'll try again next week. I've already double checked start date and start time. Let's hope next Tuesday is as simple as this past Tuesday was for 'fake swimming lessons'.
A Summerlike Weekend
Well... summer is officially over, but this past weekend was anything but. It was in the mid-80's and sunny ALL weekend. A perfect weekend to spend some time outdoors.
A great weekend, once again. Let's hope we continue to have beautiful weekends that allow us to spend lots of time outdoors, before the winter weather takes hold!
On Saturday, we knew Auntie Molly was coming back to spend her final night with us in MN. What we weren't anticipating was Grandma and Jon bringing Molly back and spending Saturday with us. What a great surprise!
While Molly was off with a friend of hers, grandma and Jon spent the day with us. I was on a cleaning spree and grandmas extra hands helped me get some extra stuff done... like all of Nece's fall clothes out and washed! Daddy was getting caught up on outdoor work! Thanks grandma.
Saturday night we did one of Nece's favorite things... went to the Mall and went on rides for a couple hours! As expected, she had a blast. Franny did okay, but was a tad crabby... those darn teeth! It's amazing how long it takes for those suckers to actually pop through the gums... one of these days!
On Sunday, Molly and I took the girls to a park that I'd been wanting to visit for quite some time... I'd heard that it was geared towards kids 6 and under! What a great surprise when we showed up and it was more than I could have ever expected! Heres a view of the park from the top of a play structure for the 'older kids'.
Every day as Franny gets better at walking (or should I say running and trying to keep up with her sister), she becomes more adventurous. This kid has NO fear and wants to do everything the big kids are doing. So, it was no surprise as she hopped right in and got onto the play structures. We did keep her to the more 1 year old friendly structures and she had a ball.
And Nece... she absolutely loves all parks. This one was no exception. The unique thing about this place is that it's completely fenced in and built into the bluffs. There are places for kids to climb the rocks, play in the sand, hang out at the pavilion area or play on the structures. Definitely a place for one adult per child.
And before heading to lunch at our (ummm, Nece's favorite) McDonalds... we walked down to the river!
A great weekend, once again. Let's hope we continue to have beautiful weekends that allow us to spend lots of time outdoors, before the winter weather takes hold!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Doctors Appointments
Yesterday we had Nece's three year and Franny's one year doctor appointment. It sure was convenient getting both of them taken care of at one time.
Updates:
Nece is 31 pounds and 38 inches tall. She falls into the 50th percentile for everything. She also had her first hearing test- perfect and eye exam- perfect for a three year old. Her vision is 10/20 which is equivilant to an adults 20/40... Perfect. Not shots this time around. We did talk a little bit about the typical three year old behavior with regards to sharing, fighting and bossiness. One little trick we're going to try is 'putting toys in a timeout' when they are causing an issue. We'll see how well this goes over.
Franny is 17 lbs 13oz and 28 inches tall (I think). She falls into the 5th percentile for everything. Her exam went perfectly, and she was the lucky recipient of 3 shots yesterday. There are new guidelines that strongly recommend children stay rear-facing until they are 2. This is something we talked in length about... we'll continue to leave her rear-facing for awhile, but it's highly unlikely we'll make it all the way til 2 years old. Doctor said this was fine, but try as long as we can because she is so little. As expected, I got a mini-lecture about giving her the bottle at bedtime. BUT this is THE only way I can get her down. My goal is to start weaning her down from the 8 ounces slowly and have her off the bottle by the time her 15 month check-up rolls around. That's the plan... we'll see.
Flu Shots and H1N1- yes both girls are in the high risk group and are recommended to get the shots. I have no problem having them get the flu shot, as its something I have been doing for years and Nece's gotten it every year also (Franny was too young last year). So, we'll be heading in for the annual flu shot next week. The H1N1 vaccine... this one I'm a tad more concerned about, need to do a bit of research on, but I will ultimately probably do what the CDC and doctor recommend.
Updates:
Nece is 31 pounds and 38 inches tall. She falls into the 50th percentile for everything. She also had her first hearing test- perfect and eye exam- perfect for a three year old. Her vision is 10/20 which is equivilant to an adults 20/40... Perfect. Not shots this time around. We did talk a little bit about the typical three year old behavior with regards to sharing, fighting and bossiness. One little trick we're going to try is 'putting toys in a timeout' when they are causing an issue. We'll see how well this goes over.
Franny is 17 lbs 13oz and 28 inches tall (I think). She falls into the 5th percentile for everything. Her exam went perfectly, and she was the lucky recipient of 3 shots yesterday. There are new guidelines that strongly recommend children stay rear-facing until they are 2. This is something we talked in length about... we'll continue to leave her rear-facing for awhile, but it's highly unlikely we'll make it all the way til 2 years old. Doctor said this was fine, but try as long as we can because she is so little. As expected, I got a mini-lecture about giving her the bottle at bedtime. BUT this is THE only way I can get her down. My goal is to start weaning her down from the 8 ounces slowly and have her off the bottle by the time her 15 month check-up rolls around. That's the plan... we'll see.
Flu Shots and H1N1- yes both girls are in the high risk group and are recommended to get the shots. I have no problem having them get the flu shot, as its something I have been doing for years and Nece's gotten it every year also (Franny was too young last year). So, we'll be heading in for the annual flu shot next week. The H1N1 vaccine... this one I'm a tad more concerned about, need to do a bit of research on, but I will ultimately probably do what the CDC and doctor recommend.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Long, Lazy Weekend
Typically every long weekend our family gets, we go out of town and up north. Not this one... and it was fabulous! We had no commitments and were able to lay around, enjoy the weather and enjoy eachother. That's not to say we missed our friends in Webster... it was just nice to be home and low-key.
And that decision early on proved to be a great one... for a couple reasons. Namely... Molars. Yes, you read correctly, molars. You see... Franny's molars decided to work full force this weekend and it made for a long one! Nece's one year molars were nasty as well... though we spent sleepless nights in Colorado when those reared their ugly heads.
Unfortunately, my girls get TERRIBLE diaper rashes as teething goes into full force, and this weekend was no exception. Franny had lots of Dreft baths, lots of bare bottom time (with a couple poops on the floor, no fun), and lots of different concoctions to get the redness, rawness and blistering under control. Poor thing! So you ask... what has helped us get ahead of it a bit. Good old faithful WATKINS. (if anyone reading this still works at Watkins... I need more) Yes, I worked there in college, and I got my handy dandy book out... the Petro Carbo, with Vaseline rubbed over that and cornstarch powder has helped us get ahead!
So... now that the not-so-fun stuff is out of the way... what did we do?
Friday- watched the Vikings and played with the neighbors
Saturday- daddy worked in the morning and we did a whole bunch of nothing and continued to enjoy the perfect weekend of 80 degrees and sunny every single day
Sunday- we had the pleasure of spending the day up in Elk River on the lake and taking a pontoon ride! Thanks Bob!!!
Monday- daddy took the girls to the park, mommy ran errands, and after naps we enjoyed some final fun in the sun!
Enjoy these pictures that were snapped this weekend as the girls played in the water with Mya.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Mom... I want makeup
Makeup is a favorite here, and it's a treat when Nece gets the makeup bag. Thanks Auntie Molly for being such a good sport on Saturday night. I'll let the pictures do the talking... no explanation needed.
And the finished product!
And the finished product!
Scavenger Hunts and Talent Shows
This last week we had a couple firsts at our house. We were introduced to 'talent shows'. They must be having talent shows at daycare with some rules, because mom, dad and Franny are told the following:
- sit on the couch and watch me
- no mom, don't dance- I dancing
- TV off, we don't need the TV on while having a talent show
- mom, keep Franny on the couch, I don't want her getting my stuff
- clap. stop clapping.
The good parents and little sister we are... we begrudgingly oblige. We listen to this horrible... I'm sorry fantastic pre-recorded music on the Mickey piano over and over and over again and watch Nece jump around in the living room. That is until I couldn't handle it ANY more on Saturday morning, and I had the brilliant idea to give the talent show to all the dolls. And here is what happened:
It worked for awhile, and we were given a reprieve. Until the talent show on Thursday night (we get a break tomorrow as we're headed to the Fair).
And the Scavenger Hunt
So, I pulled into the driveway last night and Nece was standing on the couch hollering something to me. I thought I heard the word 'paci', but couldn't figure out what she was saying. By the time I got to the back door, Nece was standing (or should I say jumping up and down) in the kitchen saying, Look Mom. See for yourself what was found:
And I think this kid was MORE than excited for bedtime (as this is the ONLY time she is allowed paci's) See for yourself:
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