Ellie's Four-Eye Monster

Ellie's LOL Monster

Ellie's Dragon

I'm a bit surprised that I didn't post these much sooner, but these still bring a smile to my face...

Ellie's Kindergarten Drawings

This is a Happy Story!

A Little Girl and A Rainbow

Ellie's Bunny Story

My Farm Story

Wordless Wednesday

Gramma

I would have to say that one of the best surprises about parenthood is watching my children grow their relationships with their grandparents. Maybe it's because she's my own mother, but their relationship with Gramma strikes me as an amazing bond. I knew that she would love being a Gramma, but I had no idea how much they would love her in return. And boy do they!

Gramma loves spending time with the girls and they are always anxious to spend more time with her. She calls them on the phone and has conversations with them. They often think to call her in return if they have a special announcement to make. It feels like Gramma is always volunteering to spend more and more time with the girls and they would go in a heart beat if it weren't for the fact that Mommy and Daddy miss them so much when they're gone.

Gramma's time with the girls is filled with just "being together" time. As long as they're together, they're happy. Whether it be planting flowers and strawberries in the garden or cooking in the kitchen, as long as they're spending time together they are happy. Very happy.

I love watching the girls' faces light up when Gramma walks into the room. I love how they think their full names include "Gabble Gobble" at the end - a Gramma's inclusion. I love that they come back singing songs like Annie's Song (aka "Gramma's song").

All in all, the girls are quite lucky to have as many grandparents as they do. They are so loved, which is good because they have so much love to give in return. It makes my heart sing to watch them grow their relationships with their grandparents - each slightly different than another, and each special in their own way.

Nana & Grampa

Oh Grampa and Nana... can the girls love you any more than they do? I don't think so.

We've always said how pleasently surprised we've been with Grampa's relationship with the girls. He is a top-notch grandpa, and loves to spend time with his girls. Nana too. The girls get to see them a lot and I love that they are a constant in our lives. I can't imagine their childhood without their Grampa and Nana.

One thing that I love dearly about these two is that they're always coming up with educational and fun activities to do with the girls. Whether it be a trip to the zoo or counting butterflies for a preservation group, there is always something new to learn. Heck, even if they're stuck at home the time the girls spend with them is filled with learning activities. Grampa taught Ellie how to add and subtract numbers using his magic rocks. He taught Ellie how the values of different coins and how to add them up. Even Addie knows the names of the coins. Nana has a set of musical instruments in her home and the girls love to pull them out and have a good old fashioned jamming session.

How they can turn even a quiet afternoon play time into amazing educational fun time is beyond me. Don't they ever run out of ideas? Apparently not. The girls love how whenever they spend time with Nana and Grampa, it's always something different. We love it too.

Grandpa Lou & Grandmommy Jeanne

Grandpa Lou and Grandmommy Jeanne get to visit with the girls only a couple times a year, but we try to make the most of our limited time. This year they came out for Uncle David's wedding and so our time was even more limited with them because we had to share their attention with new family members, but that didn't stop the girls from enjoying their visit.

Grandpa Lou's relationship with the girls is unlike any other grandparent. He has a way that is a bit stand-off-ish, though I don't say that as a bad thing at all. In a time when the girls are so accustomed to people making a fuss over them, it's refreshing for everyone (the girls included) to just be relaxed around Grandpa Lou. He doesn't go to the girls. Instead they come to him. The girls are always on the lookout for ways to act more mature, and Grandpa Lou seems to give them another opportunity to do so. I can tell that they love him for it.

Grandmommy Jeanne also interacts with the girls on a more mature level. She doesn't change her tone of voice when she speaks to them, which gives them a feeling of being respected like any other adult. That may sound strange, but when you're so accustomed to hearing people's voices change when they speak to children, it's quite noticeable when you are around someone who does not do that. This trip Grandmommy Jeanne spent hours upon hours upon hours playing one-on-one with Addie, doing what Addie loves the most - playing with Strawberry Shortcake.

We are going to visit Grandpa Lou and Grandmommy Jeanne for the 4th of July this year, which we're very excited about. The girls have told us that they're so excited to see the fireworks with them. They're also excited to go swimming and to show Grandpa Lou and Grandmommy Jeanne their new-found talents in the water.

We may not see these two often enough, but when we do, it's always an opportunity for the girls to shine and be as big as they possibly can be.

Pappy & Grammy

My blog has never been intended to document every aspect of my children's lives. I use my blog to help me focus on the positive side of parenthood. It helps me to remember what makes my heart sing and toss aside any frustrations I may have. That being said, because there are so many aspects of my daughters' lives that don't get mentioned here, sometimes I have to remind myself to include a bit more than the "everyday." The grandparents are probably the best example of how I don't do due-diligence with my typical blogging style, yet I have loved the relationships my daughters have developed with them.

So... Here it goes.... In no particular order (well technically, in the order in which the photos were taken).... We'll start with Pappy & Grammy...

To say that we don't get to see these two often enough is an understatement. We typically get to see them once or twice a year, but we make the most of their short visits. Luckily for us, they're both going to retire soon so we anticipate seeing more of them.

As soon as Pappy and Grammie show up, the girls know it's a special day. They bring gifts. They bring candy. They bring pretty clothes and fancy dresses. Grammy buys them ballerina outfits and fun sparkly clothes. The girls get to have ice cream when they're in town. They get to climb up onto the couch and give Pappy and Grammy hugs. They love to read books with them.

I'm not sure what it is about Pappy and Grammy's visits that make them so special. Somehow they are able to turn even the common activities into wonderful fun adventures. There is no doubt that the girls know that they are loved dearly by these two.

Pappy has a way of whistling his loving affection to the girls. They just beam with pride whenever he shows how impressed he is with something they do. Grammy has a way of making them feel like princesses and talking about grown-up topics like fun clothes.

Pappy and Grammy live in a house on a lake and though we aren't able to see them this year, next year we look forward to visiting them. Both girls have been practicing their swimming because they're so excited to show Pappy and Grammy their talents. They strive to impress the special people in their lives, and Pappy and Grammy are definitely included on that list.

To say "we love you" just doesn't do any justice to the instant connection the girls feel the moment Pappy & Grammie walk into the room.

Say goodbye to...

... Kindergarten Ellie. Hello 1st Grade Ellie!

Sniff. Sniff.

Class Distractions

Picture this...  There is a class of tiny ballerinas jumping around trying to be real dancers.  They're concentrating as hard as possible.  Some even have their tongues sticking out.  Then a Mommy arrives early and sits on the other size of the window that allows parents to observe the class.  Daughter sees Mommy.  Daughter stops paying attention.  Daughter is delighted that Mommy is there and is constantly checking to see that Mommy saw whatever it was she just did.

It sounds like a typical dance class, right? 

Now reverse the roles.  This time it's Mommy in class and Ellie is on the other side of the window.  She's waiting patiently but not in the way you might expect.  Instead of sitting and observing (maybe she doesn't know the proper ettiquette) she is dancing right along.  Now it's Mommy who can't pay attention to the instructor.  How could she?  Do you see how cute her daughter is being? 

Needless to say, there were many times when our eyes met and she would blast me the biggest smile ever.  She knew she was being silly.  She knew she was messing me up.  She knew she was making me smile.  She knew and she loved it. 

Then again, so did I.

Wordless Wednesday

January 2010


May 2013

Wonderful Weekend

We had to push off our monthly date nights until next weekend and thank goodness we did! Our weekend was packed with good Niffer stuff like going on walks, gardening, tea parties and of course wearing hats. Perfect in every way.

Wordless Wednesday

Planning Their Weddings

I'm not sure how we got onto the topic but the girls have decided they're going to have a rainbow wedding.

Complete with rainbow wedding dress. Ellie likes the one on the right, Addie likes the one in the middle.

Their "best friends" would be on their sides and each would be a different color. The maid of honor would be in pink, of course.

Don't forget the bouquet.

And the cake!

Ok, admittedly, I'm sure that a rainbow wedding could easily get out of hand and a bit tacky but I have to admit... I think they're on to something. My wedding (LOVED it) was just about the complete opposite of a rainbow. My bridesmaids wore silver. I love the dresses above (can't decide which one I like best, honestly) and the idea of the bridesmaids being rainbow colors. Hmmm.... Renew our vows, perhaps?