Pages

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Friends

Ellie: Daddy? You are my friend.
Daddy: Aww, thank you.
Ellie: Mommy? You are my friend.
Mommy: Awww, that's so sweet. I love being your friend. You are my friend too.
Addie: (hand eagerly raised high) I DO! I DO!
Mommy: Addie, do you want to be my friend too?
Addie: (Nods enthusiastically)
Mommy: Of course you're my friend too.

Smiles all around.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Mommy and EllieTime

I may talk about how Ellie is such a good big sister fairly often, but one of the things I don't usually mention is how Ellie says "Addie doesn't like to share Mommy very much." She understands that Addie will learn to share more and more as she gets bigger, but I know it's hard for her to see how much attention Addie demands from me. And Ellie is getting so big herself! This weekend she actually suggested that we go to the store without her she reassured us that she would be ok just reading books in her room. As it turned out, I stayed home with her while Daddy and Addie when to the store. It was nice for me to be able to spend some alone with Ellie. I braided her hair like Rapunzel while she patiently sat and read her books. It was wonderful.

But what's with the confidence on staying home alone? REALLY? Is she getting THAT big and THAT confident without me even noticing???

Friday, August 26, 2011

Princess Addie

I was planning on having these photos be a Wordless Wednesday because in many ways they require no explanation.

But when I start to think about how big my little baby has grown, it seems wrong for me to not say at least something.

So I sit and stare at the beauty that is my daughter and I come up with nothing. No words to describe how I feel inside.

Yep, this is my baby. Feel free to share a little tear with me. My baby is nearly 2 years old and can spin in circles like a pro. She doesn't say much, but boy does she live a lot!

Does she know just how beautiful she is becoming? Her personality shines so bright and if her smile isn't present, it's not far away. Neither are her hugs or kisses. This girl is pure joy, I tell you.

Well, pure joy mixed with confidence and silliness, with just a little bit of attitude. She's got all the good stuff. This little girl has definitely proved herself to be so big in a world that expects her to be so small.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Addie's Homework

I have to say that doing something like this for daycare is MUCH MUCH easier when your child can talk and can answer your questions. What does Addie want to be when she grows up? Uh??? A doctor? An engineer? A princess? Her sister? What is her favorite color? Perhaps yellow? Perhaps blue? Perhaps whatever color her sister happens to like at that moment? What's her favorite kind of food? I suppose tomatoes. Dang! Why didn't I think of that in time???

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Big Sister Quote of the Day

Ellie: Addie, do you want to suck it?

Monday, August 22, 2011

Addie These Days

Addie is quite the source of entertainment, love and laughter these days. My posts do not do justice to how much I am enjoying her more and more as she learns to express herself through her words. The little girl has quite a personality.

Recently the thing that brings the biggest smile to my face is her new game "My Addie." Daddy chases her saying "My Addie" over and over again. When he catches her he pretends to not be willing to let her go, repeating "My Addie." It turns out that now when she wants Daddy to chase her, she says "My Ah-ee-yine" a few times and giggles. If she wants Mommy snuggle time but she sees him approaching, she'll say "My Ah-ee-yine" and bury deeper into my arms.

Along with that, she has learned to stand up to her big sister a little more. "NO! My Ah-ee-yine!" if she notices that Ellie is taking advantage of the concept of taking turns. Too cute.

She also loves loves loves to give hugs. If she has done something that results in our disapproval, she is quick to offer a hug for an apology. This works well with avoiding any major issues when she accidentally (or purposefully) hurts her big sister. She'll quickly hold out her arms and say "Ugh!" and no one can resist forgiving her.

Though sometimes she's much too willing to give the hugs for her own good. The other night she was so tired that as soon as Daddy dropped her into bed she face planted into her pillow, but even with her face dug deep she was able to reach behind her back, put up her hand in the air and say "Ugh?" to let Daddy know that it's the thought that counts.

And speaking of bed time, the girl loves loves loves her bed. She's still in her crib (plans for a big girl room in the next month or two) but just adores it. She is rarely ready to get out when I come to wake her in the morning. My guess is that she's going to be quite the difficult teenager as she is definitely not a morning person. And at this age it's cute. A dozen years from now, I'm guessing the cuteness will have faded.

And so, my friends, trust me on this... My Addie Bear is one of the sweetest most adorable things I can possibly fathom. And with that, I'll leave you with a quick video - Addie's first song caught on tape. Apparently she follows in her sister's shoes in having Ba Ba Black Sheep be her most favorite:

Friday, August 19, 2011

Ellie Colors

Look at what my Ellie has learned to do!!! And if you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about...

Compare them to the ones that I cut out and hung on her wall in her bedroom. What a difference a month or two can make!!!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

How the Special Rocks Work

By now you should know about our special rocks. Ellie has kept her blue heart under her pillow for over two years now and she knows that it keeps her safe at night. Recently she gave the rock to Addie in exchange for another heart rock similar to this one:

Ellie likes the green color with pink spots, and quite honestly those are the colors I think of when I think of my Ellie.

And so now the blue one has found a nice home under Addie's pillow, and it fits her. I think Addie likes blue a lot.

Anyway, in a recent conversation regarding the state of flux of our special rocks, Ellie expressed some concern over her new rock being able to keep her as safe as her old one.

Ellie: Mommy I like my special rock because it keeps me safe at night.
Mommy: Yeah, I know. You've had it a long time.
Ellie: Does it chase my bad dreams away?
Mommy: Yep.
Ellie: No. It catches my bad dreams and puts them in jail!
Mommy: Oh, is that how it works?
Ellie: And den my special rock says to the bad dreams, "You will stay in jail, Bad Dreams, until you decide to be good again!"
Mommy: And if they decide to be good they can come out of jail, right?
Ellie: Right, but that's ok because they're good dreams again.
Mommy: I didn't know that's how they work.
Ellie: But Mommy I don't think my new rock will be able to keep all my bad dreams away.
Mommy: Oh sure it can. It's just as magical as your old special rock.
Ellie: But I think that the magic will get old and it will run out of power.
Mommy: That's ok. All we have to do is fill it up with more magic.
Ellie: Can you do that for real life?
Mommy: Oh sure! Don't worry about your new rock. It has lots and lots of magical power right now.
Ellie: To keep me safe and put my bad dreams in jail, right?
Mommy: Right.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Best $80 ever spent

My daughter is fearless.

We recently looked into swim lesson options. Option One was $500 to guarantee that the child would be able to swim within two weeks. Option Two was $40 for 4 week sessions at the local rec center. Here's what $80 will get you:

One self-initiated jumper...

One child who isn't afraid to get water in her face...

One back floater...

And one "happy starfish"!

Ok, so we have to work a little on our technique...


... But I absolutely love seeing how proud my little girl is of her accomplishments! And quite honestly, I'm impressed with what 6-7 swim lessons can do!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Tid-Bits

I love that upon presenting Addie with a special heart rock, she knew just what to do with it. She promptly got up, walked over to her bed and put the rock under her pillow. I didn't even know she knew!!

I love how Ellie and I can go back and forth yelling "Hello?" to each other from across the house, and Addie pipes up and yells "Lo!" each time.

Addie gets a HUGE smile on her face whenever she hears a song with a harmonica in it.

I love how Ellie likes to hold Addie's hand to make sure she crosses the street safely.

I'm not sure what it is about the song "Isn't She Lovely?" but Ellie calls it the "bug" and Addie calls it the "duck" song, but it makes me smile.

I love how even at such a young age, Addie is following in Ellie's steps and is a very polite little girl. She often automatically says "Dank Goo!" (while signing "Thank You" at the same time). She almost always says "Peeze!" (while signing it too) with a big smile on her face if she wants something. And if she knows she did something bad, she doesn't hesitate to say "Ug" and offer up a fantastic hug to make it better.

I get a kick out of the fact that Addie automatically asks "Peeze!" with a great big smile on her face as soon as you say no to something. She knows what works.
From Ellie's mouth, "But I always like swim lessons because they make me awesome!"

I love that when Addie sees a reflection on the ceiling from my phone, she points to it and says "Dinker Ba!" Yes, Addie it does look a lot like Tinkerbell.

I love how Ellie likes to rub my back to calm me down because she likes it when I do that to her. Addie, however, likes to run her fingers through my hair because that's what calms her. Both are so sweet.

I love that Ellie now likes to listen to the point in a song where they say the words from the song's title. She'll listen very closely and then when the title is sung, we exchange a big goofy grin with each other.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Silly Ellie

You gotta smile.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Heart to Heart with Ellie

I recently had my first real heart to heart talk with my Ellie. Lately she has seemed so sad about her best friend Brynn not being very nice to her. Her entire life, Ellie has known and defined herself as "Brynn's Best Friend" and so it is hard for her to understand how things can change. For me, it's difficult to watch her struggle with redefining her friendships, but I am trying to not let my own memories of high school drama turn this into anything bigger than it really is.

In a recent discussion about her friends...

Mommy: Do you still play with Brynn? Is she still your friend?
Ellie: Ummm... I don't really like her anymore.
Mommy: Really? Why not?
Ellie: (big sigh) I'm just tired. She's not very nice to me and it takes away my energy and I don't have enough energy to be her friend anymore.
Mommy: Yeah, that makes sense. It's a little sad, but it's ok if you want to pick someone else to be your best friend.
Ellie: Yeah but everyone else already has their best friend.
Mommy: What about Izzy? She's missing Kylie (Izzy's best friend who recently moved away). I'm sure she would be happy to be your best friend.
Ellie: Yeah but she needs time to stop being sad about Kylie.
Mommy: Oh. Well, do you know what I think?
Ellie: What?
Mommy: I think that whomever you choose will be lucky to have you as a best friend because you're always thinking of nice things to do for your friends. You always think of special presents to give to Brynn and so I know that you are a good best friend.
Ellie: Yeah but she doesn't give me special presents and she doesn't like the special things I give to her.
Mommy: Maybe your next best friend will?
Ellie: But when will that be?
Mommy: Oh I know! It's ok if you don't have a best friend right now because you have lots of other friends. And then when you're 5 years old you can go to Kindergarten and meet lots of new friends there!
Ellie: Yeah! Dat will be fun! I like that idea.
Mommy: Ok.
Ellie: Hey, I have an idea! Til I go to Kindergarten, you can be my best friend!
Mommy: I would love that, but when you decide you want a different best friend, just tell me and that's ok.
Ellie: But til den, you can be my best friend.

She ended the conversation with a swinging her arms around and around...

Ellie: Do you know what I'm doing? That's is my heart saying "I love you."

OH. MY. GOD. What is a mother supposed to say in response to that???

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Before I was a mommy

Mommy: And another reason you're special is that you made me a mommy.
Ellie: I didn't make you. You made me!
Mommy: That is right, but before you were born I wasn't a mommy.
Ellie: Why not?
Mommy: I was just a girl, but then when you were born I became a mommy.
Ellie: Yeah and you were sad before you was a mommy, right? And then you saw something coming and you stought it was a dinosaur but it wasn't because it was me. And then you were a Mommy and you were happy.
Mommy: Ummm... Yeah, something like that.
Ellie: Yeah, just like dat!

Monday, August 08, 2011

Teddy Bear Teddy Bear

OH. MY. GOD. These videos need no explanation. My eyes tear up because I have to giggle so much every time I watch my teddy bears jumping so high.

Teddy Bear First Jump


Teddy Bear Laughs


Teddy Bear - Ellie Singing

Friday, August 05, 2011

Addie's "Hi"

I get a kick out of Addie starting to talk more and more, but lately it has been her "Hi" that gets a good chuckle out of me. She loves to say "Hi" to just about everything.

Seeing a dog, she quiety whispers "Hi!" while waving her little fingers.
Seeing a baby, she quietly whispers "Hi!" while waving her little fingers.
Seeing a teddy bear, she quietly whispers "Hi!" ...
Seeing our car in the parking lot, she quietly whispers "Hi!" ...
Seeing hot air balloons in the sky, she quietly whispers "Hi!"...

But the one that got a chuckle out of me this morning, was when she saw a pile of cat puke and/or hairball in the hallway, she quietly whispered "Hi!" while waiving her little fingers.

Thursday, August 04, 2011

Just Mommy and Daddy

Recently Ellie wanted to print a picture of her family so that she could keep it close to her at night time. She also wanted to bring one to school with her. So we sat in front of the computer and looked through all her options. She didn't like any of them. And finally she said "Can I have a pitcher of just you and Daddy wifout Addie and me?"

So I suggested this one and she fell in love. She carried it around with her all day and got upset when it was bent. I think perhaps I should laminate one for her. I love the fact that she likes it so much. She knows it's a special one.

Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Ellie at school

Ellie's drawings are starting to represent real items and I'm so excited! She has gotten quite good at drawing flowers for Mommy, but you might be surprised when I say that these aren't even the best part...

Oh yes she did! My Ellie drew a picture of her family! I love that Mommy has a blue forehead (perhaps it's my third eye that looks inwards) and everyone has 10 fingers on each hand. I find it interesting that she starts with the legs and then draws the head. Then she connects them. I love that we're all sized about right, and we're all holding hands. I giggle at the fact that we only have heads and legs but I find this to be an interesting insight into how she views her world. I could see that from her perspective, always looking up at adults, these are the two things she would probably notice the most. Regardless, this is my all-time-favorite treasure. I've laminated it and hung it in my office already.

Another recent development that I've noticed is that Ellie is really good at creating patterns. One day I came to pick her up and found her surrounded by friends, all watching her put together a "swirl-er" and they were all asking questions like "How do you do that?" or "What color comes next?"

I watched her continue, responding with a proud voice "You just start in the middle and den you go out, one color at a time." A few minutes later she had completed her design and was surrounded by friends saying "ooo" and "ahhh." I loved it.

According to her teachers, she is much better at developing patterns than the other kids in her class. I wonder what this means for her future... Will she be an engineer like her mommy and daddy? Will she be an architect? An artist? Or perhaps it's just that she loves stained glass windows and how all the pieces form into a pretty picture? Regardless, I loved the look of pride that is so apparent on her face when she's surrounded by her peers and explaining how to do something really cool.

Monday, August 01, 2011

What's in a name?

One thing about our names being Michael and Jennifer, we knew we wanted unique names for our babies. When we chose our names, we would verify a couple things: 1. It was not on the Social Security's list of top 100 baby names (ideally not on the list of top 1000 at all) and 2. That it had a nice meaning.

We knocked quite a few fantastic names off the list of possibilities if they were too popular, and I have to say that I love how unique their names are. So, I admit that it bothers me when I hear about other children being named the same thing. I know it's silly, but I feel a small sense of ownership over the names. They're mine!

We also knocked quite a few names off the list because of their meanings. The one that comes to mind is Cameron, which means "bent nose." I think we succeeded pretty well in this arena too.

If Ellie was a boy, she would have been named Keegan Asher. Keegan means "small flame" and Asher means "happy one" so together the name would be "small flame of happiness."

Alas, she was not a boy, and so her name is Lori.elle Ashlyn. Lori.elle comes from Laurel and Elle. Laurel means "honorable with great achievements" and Elle means "girl." Ashlyn is a feminine version of Asher, so together the name means "girl with great achievements of happiness."

If Addie was a boy, she would have been named Brennan Asher. Brennan means "tears" and again Asher means "happy one" so together the name would be "tears of happiness."

As you know, that didn't end up happening so her name is Adel.ine Rayne. Adel.ine means "noble" and Rayne means "abundant blessings from above," so together the name means "abundant noble blessings."

Why do I write about this now? I guess I wasn't positive that I've ever written down the full meanings of their names. I am not sure how much it matters what their names mean, but I do like the fact that they reflect what the wishes I have for my daughters.

On a more practical note, I love that their names have options for nicknames. Obviously Ellie and Addie are fantastic little girl names, but when they get older they will have the option of using Lori and Adel. I think that as far as names go, we covered all of our bases...

... well except for the fact that there is a popular make-up brand with a spelling of L'Oreal and Madel.ine sounds so similar and is so popular... but even with these things considered I still love the names we picked.