New Blog

I just have to say that I am loving Color Me Kate. From what I can tell she lives in New York City and appreciates the simple things in life more than most. I love that she has a unique way of making people smile. She's had quite a few posts lately that put a big smile on my face. Now I'm sure you will all appreciate the fact that I'm letting you go spend the next 5 minutes or so checking her out. Have fun!

Wordless Wednesday

Super Hero Princess

What does it take to make a Super Hero Princess. Apparently not much. A great cape, a perfect pair of high-heels and your lucky underwear, and you're good to go.

Tid Bits

I love that whenever Ellie sees an old church with a steeple or two, she asks if it's a real castle for a real princess. I wish.

I love how much Addie enjoys walking around with a blanket over her shoulders.

I chuckled when Daddy told me about a trip he took to the restroom with Ellie. She was in the stall doing her thing when Daddy told her "Ellie, there is someone waiting to go potty. Can you please hurry?" Ellie said "OK" but then proceeded to start singing a song (about a princess and a prince, I'm sure).

Deep thought for the day: Would wind still be wind if you put it in time out for keeping you awake at night?

I love how Addie seems to be getting more and more silly by the day. It's not uncommon to see her walking funny just to get a smile on somoene's face.

I wonder sometimes... Did I teach my daughters how to dance or did they teach me? Either way, it certainly leaves room for improvement.

I loved playing restaurant at the playground with Ellie. She would make me a cake and sing a birthday song. I'd blow out the stick candles and she'd go make me another. The best part? The big kids took note and started their own game of "grown-up" restaurant.

I love how much both of my girls enjoy the Gorillaz song "Feel Good, Inc."

I love playing tickle monster with Addie. I'll stick my hand up high and then move it towards her in a open-closed claw like motion and then tickle her. She giggles and then takes a turn. She sticks her hand up high, wiggles her fingers and then tickles herself. Not me. Too funny.

I love that Ellie seems to believe that if you're standing in front of a window, looking outside, the proper thing to do is sing to your prince.

I love that Addie has started singing songs to herself. I'll have to get it on video soon, but for the most part it's barely audible. She seems to prefer Twinkle Twinkle and knows the melody quite well. It's impressive for someone who doesn't speak very many words yet.

Big Sister Quote of the Day

Rumor has it that when Nana dropped off the girls after a trip to the zoo, it was nap time. Ellie insisted on putting Addie to bed herself. She went to Addie's cubby and got her blanket and Bun Bun Bear. Then She laid Addie down on her mat, tucked her in with her blanket and gave her a hug and a kiss good night. Ellie did not want Nana's help, so she just sat back and watched. Addie loved it. Ellie loved it. It was the sweetest thing ever, especially the kiss at the end.

My Superstar Hero

I realize that, for the most part, my blog has recently been filled with "awww" moments instead of funny ones. I am thinking that Ellie has left the stage of her life where she says funny things on a daily basis. I think she just understands the world around her enough to not make those silly little mistakes in her everyday conversation that get the grown-ups chuckling.

Instead her sweetness is starting to shine through more and more. She really is a very considerate little girl, one who is most often confident and outgoing. Every now and then, though, her vulnerability peaks through. For example, the other day we met a little girl in the locker room and Ellie shyly asked me if I would ask her if she wanted to be Ellie's friend. I was shocked by her sudden vulnerability, or perhaps it was my own past sneaking up on me? Either way I was touched by her sweet innocence. "Mommy, can you ask her if she wants to be my friend?" Sigh.

But she still has her moments that induce a big smile on my face. For example, take her Superstar Hero song, that went something like this:

"I am a superstar hero. I will pretect you. I want to pretect you from the bad guys. Hey, Mister Bad Guy, I am here to stop you. Don't make me stop you. I will stop you. I'm going to stop you. Here I come, Mister Bad Guy. I will pretect my friend from you because I am a superstar hero and she is my friend. And I love my friend, so don't make me stop you!"

Sigh, anyone?

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Father's Day 2011

We had a fanastic Father's Day this year. We decided to go to the Renaissance Festival but we didn't want to spend that much time in a car on the same day (1.5 hours each way). So, we went camping! It was only for one night and probably in the most luxurious campground we've ever been in (showers AND a pool!) but the girls got to sleep in a tent. In the end, that's what mattered the most to them. On the way home, we stopped by the festival to see princesses, dragons, tigers and most importantly (according to Ellie) the guy who breathes fire out of his mouth!
The girls were both pretty much in a state of awe as soon as we walked into the festival. All the princesses and people dressed up in different costumes, Addie just pointed and stared. Personally, my favorite part was the princess crowns. You just can't get any cuter than this, can you?
Both Ellie and Addie wore their butterfly wings, but Ellie was sure to correct you if you ever called her a butterfly. "I'm not a budderfly! I'm a fairy princess." Get it straight. There's a difference.
There's a difference until you come upon a big field of grass, at which time Ellie took off flying and flapping her wings. She explained "when you see me fly past, you say 'that was the most beautiful budderfly I have ever seen.' Ok?" Perhaps the line between insect and fairytale creature is thinner than you think.
I loved to watch Daddy and his two princesses. They adore him and I enjoy every moment. It makes my heart sing. It's so apparent to me that he adores seeing them be so enthralled with the festivities around them. These two little princesses... Why haven't we found the "pause" button on life yet?
And of course we can't have a Father's Day without a handprint card. These little fishes turned out adorable, and the words say "Of all the daddies in the sea, you're the best one for me!" I couldn't have said it better myself. Oh wait, I did say that.
And this year's survey made us chuckle once again. Ellie responded to my questions...

Mommy: What is Daddy's favorite color?
Ellie: Blue, green, red, yellow, purple and orange.
Mommy: What is Daddy's favorite animal?
Ellie: Elephants!
Mommy: What is Daddy's favorite thing to do?
Ellie: Play with elephants!
Mommy: How old is Daddy?
Ellie: A grown up who is 15.
Mommy: What is Daddy's favorite food?
Ellie: Chicken nuggets and chocolate water mellon.
Mommy: What is Daddy's favorite book?
Ellie: Ariel book!
Mommy: What does Daddy do at work?
Ellie: He gets money for me.
Mommy: What makes Daddy happy?
Ellie: When he gets very very wet.

I love my Daddy because...
- He plays with me.
- He brings me dinner.
- He snuggles with me.

And finally, both girls signed their names on the card. Too cute.

Daddy... You can't possibly hear this often enough, but you're amazing. I often watch you with our daughters and think that I scored the jackpot. I could not have asked for a better partner to raise our children. I love seeing the adoration you have for the girls and how they return it 10-fold.

We all love you very much!

Babies in their blankets

I love how much my daughters enjoy playing "mommy" to their stuffed animals.


And I think it's cute how all our animal friends need to sit on window sills while we eat dinner.


I still find it a little strange dealing with the wave of memories that seeing my children play with Snowball brings on.

Ellie's Art

I came across quite a few fantastic pieces of artwork recently when I was trying to clean up. I'm not sure how it happened, but some of the pieces were quite old, dating all the way back to October 2010 AD!!!

Alas... they're still worth sharing...

We have the artwork that includes a look into Ellie's world:
"I am thankful for my daddy, mommy and sister who love me."
"I am thankful for naps."
"I am thankful for running with my daddy."
"I am thankful for mac and cheese."

"I love Colorado because my mommy, daddy and baby live in Colorado."

When taking a class trip to the Flower Bin, each child took a photo of something pretty they saw. Ellie chose a tree. Smart girl.

"My cowgirl is named Lori-elle. She is going to use the rope to catch a doggy for her pet."

Oh the places you'll go... "The circus."

I love Ellie because:
She shares her books with me - Bridgett
I love her - Brynne
She plays with me - Lauren
She brings me snacks in the morning - Brynn
I want her to go to my birthday - Kendall
I love her because... umm I do - Claire

We have her very first name bug:


We have a variety of rainbows:


We have different styles of painting:
Ellie's Classical Painting.
Ellie's Wiggles Painting.

And for a while there, all of Ellie's artwork came home in the shape of a beautifully folded fan (even her adorable smiley guy):


We have some flowers for Mommy:


And of course, Mommy's favorite, stained glass windows:

Flowers

Ellie picked me some flowers at school. When I picked her up, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of clammy flowers and handed them to me like they were delicate glass figurines. I'm sure they have seen better days.

Wordless Wednesday

Tid-Bits

Ellie is good with rules. She tends to be the one who takes the time to make sure everyone is safe and playing by the rules, while her friends just jump right into having the fun.

On the other hand, she takes things so literally and gets upset if you "break the rules" even on something silly like the words to a song. When Daddy says "Moo cow, don't bother me," Ellie yells at him, "Stop saying dat! It's SHOO FLY don't boder me!"

Addie's favorite word might very well be "echo." After the family shouting "Echo" over and over again in a garage, she continues to say "Eck-toe!" throughout the day. And then the following day. And the following...

I love how if Ellie knows I just took a bath with bath salts of any sort, she'll rush up to me to feel my really soft skin, anxious to see the magic that the salts were able to perform.

Addie is a girl of few words. Sit her down in front of a bowl of icecream and she'll silently sit and eat it with content. However, every few minutes you can hear a quiet "Mmmmmm..." Too cute.

I love that Ellie always thinks of her friends and ways to do nice things for them. Recently, on PJ day, she asked "Can I bring anoder PJs case my friend forgets to bwing hers?" And without fail, there was a friend who needed them.

I love putting Addie to bed. I point to Mr. Bear's nose and say, "Night night, Mr. Bear." This is repeated for Blue Bear, Jelly Bean Bear, Pooh Bear, Snowball Bear, Bussie Bear, Boof Bear, Baby Bear, Bun Bun Bear and then finally tapping Addie's nose and saying "Night Night Addie Bear." She giggles every time.

We recently had our first swim lessons. Ellie finished her lesson with pride and told everyone about how she went under the water all by herself. Addie didn't do quite so well. When Daddy asked her, "Do you trust me still?" she confidently shook her head and held Bun Bun Bear just a little tighter.

I love how happy Addie is to help clean off the table. One item at a time, she'll bring the stuff over to Daddy in the kitchen. The longer she plays the game, the more squeals and skips and funny grunts come from her.

Good things come to those who wait

Ellie: Guess what, Mommy?
Mommy: What?
Ellie: But when am I going to meet my prince?
Mommy: Oh, I don't know. You're so busy having fun playing and having fun now.
Ellie: But I'm not busy now.
Mommy: True, but maybe your prince is.
Ellie: Why?
Mommy: He's somewhere playing and having fun right now too.
Ellie: But when am I going to meet him?
Mommy: When you're much older. Maybe if you're really really really patient.
Ellie: Mommy but it's never going to come that way.
Mommy: I know its hard to wait.
Ellie: I wish when I'm a little bigger.
Mommy: But not too big because I still need to be able to snuggle with you.
Ellie: Yeah and do you remmeber? You are always going to scratch my back when you wake me up?
Mommy: Yep. That's the plan.
Ellie: Ok. I will help you to remember.

Big Sister Quote of the Day

The other day Addie woke up crying, which might be the first in a very long time. I heard Ellie get up and go into Addie's room to calm her down.

Ellie: Oh Sweetie, what's wrong? Ohhhh... Did you have a bad dream? Do you want me to snuggle wif you for a mindute? Ok. I can do that.

When I went in (it was time to get up for the day anyway) I found Ellie laying in the crib with her baby sister, scratching her back and snuggling. Addie's eyes were closed and she looked so secure.

Stained glass windows

Addie recently made a stained glass window at school, and everyone knows that Niffers LOVE stained glass windows. Apparently so does Ellie. She liked Adddie's stained glass window so much that she was anxious to hang it up as soon as we got home.

Ellie: Hey, Mommy, guess what?! For your bird-day you can hang dis up on your window. Oh! I know! You can hang it on my window 'stead!
Mommy: For **MY** birthday we can hang Addie's stained glass window in **YOUR** room?
Ellie: Yeah, it's for your bird-day.

The rest of the car ride home was filled with a joyous melody coming from the back seat:

"... Stained glass windows all day I ree-ah like dem stained glass window... Stained glass windows. Every day is like the same... Dey just help make my heart sing the same on every day. I ree-ah like stained glass windows and Addie likes them too... They are so pretty because they make my heart sing. Every day I'm happy. Stained glass windows. Stained glass windows... I ree-ah like my stained glass windows..."

Though I had never heard the tune before, I couldn't help but think the lyrics were near perfect.

And then, to top it off, Ellie colored me a picture of a pretty stained glass window the following day. She presented it like it was a Picasso, and quite honestly, I like it just as much!

Wordless Wednesday

Touche

Ellie: Stink of a number, Mommy.
Mommy: Any number? Like when I count to ten?
Ellie: Whatever number you want to stink of. I already know da number.
Mommy: You do?
Ellie: Yep. I already know da number you are stinking of because I already know dat.
Mommy: Oh? What number am I thinking of now?
Ellie: What ever number you just thunked.
Mommy: Ah. You're a smart one.
Ellie: I know dat.

Ellie's long distance relationship

About a year ago we visited some friends in New Mexico, who have a boy (Graeme) who is 4 years older than Ellie. They also have Olive (a year younger, almost to the day) and now new baby Callum (born in May). We have told Ellie that we plan to visit Graeme again soon and apparently she has been thinking about him ever since.

I've discovered Ellie singing to herself recently, and though I can't figure out what song she is singing, it has something to do with "missing you every day" and "walk with me in da woods" and "hug me forever."

And when I ask her what she's doing, she shyly says, "Oh, I'm just sitting here stinking about my Graeme. I am ree-ah es-cited to see him again soon."

Ellie on divorce

Ok, it's a bit depressing, but it made me chuckle non-the-less...

Ellie: Mommy we are not married anymore?
Mommy: We're not?
Ellie: No. You will not give me your ring so we are not married anymore.
Mommy: Oh, I'm so sorry, but my ring is very important to me.
Ellie: It's very important to me too so dat's why we are not married anymore and we're now DEAD.

I'm THAT parent now

When Ellie was about 20 months old (if my memory serves me right) another child bit her. The teachers at daycare told me about it (man was that a big bruise on her arm) but they never told me which child bit her. I always wondered if that was a sign that they never told the other parents, but I'm assuming it was because they didn't want me to hold it against the biting child.

However, Ellie was talking by then and she told me it was Lucas. The teachers were right to not tell me because after knowing which child bit my precious little girl, I had a hard time "liking" him. Every time he acted up, in my head I would think something about "yeah, and he bites too," even if the acting up was a normal thing for a young boy to do.

Well apparently it's my turn now. Little Addie bit little Michael yesterday. The teachers are not sure why and they said they were really surprised, but were also surprised when Addie (on her own accord) went over and gave little Michael a hug for his owie.

So... today I'm finding myself on the other side of the story and it's just an interesting perspective. I know it's "normal" for children that age, but it's a first for me. At least I'm comforted by the fact that she gave him a hug afterwards and knew she did something bad. Yay, partial credit!

Wordless Wednesday