Tid-Bits

ADDIE: When you are 100 years old then VOILA! You're dead!

Adeline turn of phrase: "You know what really excites me out?"
Yellow tomatoes, of course.

I love that my girls think I smell so good. When I hug them, it's not uncommon for them to inhale a deep breath followed by a sigh as though it's filling their memory bucket for the future.

We have recently started watching So You Think You Can Dance together as a family. I get a kick out of the crushes Ellie has on some of the male dancers. Some of the comments I've heard from her:
- "Oh, look at him! I just LOVE his freckles. Oh my god. He is soooo cute!"
- "Oh no! He's my second favorite. I don't want him to be sent home! Just look at his eyes!!!"
- "Do we ever get to find out where these dancers live? I want to go and say hi to him because he is just too cute for me to believe!"

Tid-bits

After a typical, nothing special, Friday dinner out at a restaurant, Addie informs me, "Mommy, I just had the best, most special-est day ever with my family tonight!"

I love that after the girls return from spending a few days at Gramma's house, they talk nonstop for hours upon hours as though we haven't seen them in ages. They don't even stop long enough for us to tell them we're going to get ice cream. Instead, we end up herding them out into the car without a word - from us anyway.

I love that Ellie is reading "Matilda" by Roald Dahl out loud to the rest of the family. Watching her stumble across new words is fascinating to watch and sometimes creates a whole tangent of laughter. Take the word "Now-here" for example. Nowhere else would that word create such a giggle attack.

I love that when I found Addie hiding in a corner, obviously not wanting us to see what tasty treat she was stuffing into her face, it was an almost completely eaten container of tomatoes we had bought not 5 minutes before.

Playing the Family Dinner Box of Questions, "Have you ever gotten in trouble for showing you didn't do?"
Ellie responds, "Yes! I once got into trouble for not getting ready for the day!

MOMMY: GAH. I can't remember what I was going to blog about!
ADDIE: Oh, fiddle sticks!

Tid-Bits

The Avs lost their game...
Addie: Don't talk about it. It's too sad.

Sometimes I am taken by surprise...
Mommy: Who has been your favorite teacher so far?
Ellie: You! You teached me lots of things!

Perhaps a sign that she has too many stuffed animals...
Showing me her baby doll, Addie says "Do you want to see my pet baby?"

I recently went to get my vaccines updated and brought the girls with me. It turns out that Addie needs hers updated too, which left Ellie as the only one who didn't need to get any shots. Of course, she was also the only one who really wanted shots. HUH???

Addie: I like this color. It's turtle-quoise.

Tid-bits

Quote of the day...
Ellie: Your butt feels like love.

I love how the girls like short haircuts and do not feel like they need long hair to look good. In fact, I think that they view short haircuts as making them look older than they really are. From a practical standpoint, it alleviates the need to cry over lots of tangles - something we all appreciate.

I love how Ellie gives a little squeal of delight whenever she likes something you do or if you do something she thinks is silly. No words. No laughter. Just a squeal.

Song of the day...
Addie: Kiss the season Katy Perry. Fa la la la la la. La la la la.

I love how the majority of Ellie's stuffed animals (and even some of her ceramic figurines) have some sort of makeshift leash tied around their necks. Some of the possible leash materials include: long pieces of yarn, long handmade (by Ellie herself) rubber band bracelets, old ribbons that once were tied to balloons, shoe laces, tie wraps, cable ties, necklaces, or any combination of the above. Most of the time you will see these animals tied to her bed, dresser or even a doorknob so that they can't run away.

I love that it's also not uncommon to find Addie attached to a leash, sometimes seemingly randomly, walking around as though nothing were out of the ordinary.

I love how when Addie sings "Let it Go" from the movie Frozen, she sings with a really deep deep voice. She even has the country twang down!

Ellie found the lyrics to the Frozen soundtrack and was singing along with the songs. Everything went fine until she came to the duet. Listening to her trying to sing both sides of the duet at the same time made me chuckle.

How do you camouflage a screaming child? Stick them in with a bunch of other bouncing, screaming children and it's amazing how quickly they disappear.

I love that when at a party full of screaming kids having fun, the girls still choose each other as the one they want to play with.

I love how even after all these years, there is nothing Ellie enjoys more than spending time with her best friend, Brynn.

Tid-Bits

I love that when you first wake up Addie, even before she opens her eyes she smiles and opens her arms for a big hug.

I love that when one girl is having a bad day, the other is quick to come up with ideas to make it better, whether it be borrowing a cherished stuffie, receiving a big hug or even getting the honored place at the table, next to Mommy.

This morning when Daddy woke Addie up before leaving town for work, she said "I'm going to miss you" even before opening her eyes.

Ellie: Mommy, what's the surprise?
Mommy: It begins with an "s" and ends with an "e"
...
Ellie: Mommy, is the sleep over with Brynn and Lylah our surprise?
Mommy: Yep.
Ellie: But, Mommy, "sleep over" doesn't end with an e!!!

I love the Addie-isms:
"I would eat but-cept that I am not very hungry."
"I miss Bella because I haven't seen her in a long long time ago!"

I miss the Ellie-isms:
"Oh, so entire close! Try again. You can do it!"
"I'm a big girl be-kuz I have ree-a ree-a strong missiles!"

I love how, before leaving to go home, Addie has to give every single one of her friends a hug good bye, no matter which friends are still in the classroom, and no matter which friends actually respond to her asking "Who wants a hug before I go?"

I love how proud Ellie is about the things she has accomplished, especially with diving class. She specifically asked if Addie can come watch because "If I know she's cheering me up, then I will do better!"

I have to laugh at how quickly a child's clean room can explode into a war zone when a sleepover is happening. 30 seconds, tops.

Tid-Bits

I love how proud Addie is to give the best squeezes of anyone else around. If I'm sad, she'll ask me "Mommy, do you need one of my super squeezes?" Of course I do, Sweetie. Always. Especially with the trademarked super squeeze grunt that comes with them.

I love that when Daddy took Ellie to the store as a special treat to buy her a new game, it was HER idea to get Addie something special too. She looks out for her sister, doesn't she?

I love that Addie picks a new stuffed animal to sleep with every night. It is never the same animal two nights in a row. And she can only sleep with one at a time.

Ellie, on the other hand, sleeps with lots of animals in bed with her, and still insists that one of them is Bun Bun.

I love that Addie calls Jasmine "Jazz Man" and that Silvermist (Tinkerbell's friend) is always "Silverware."

I love that Ellie wanted to write Santa a "thank you" letter for all her wonderful gifts. I wonder how many children are thoughtful enough to actually THANK Santa.

I love that Addie always speaks of her other house. "I have a baby broder at my odder house!" Whatever she lacks in this house, it's ok because she has it at her other house. She even has a mommy with curly hair there. When I asked her where her other house is, she responded with "Oh, it's far far away."

I love that when coming up with ideas for good deeds, Addie and Ellie decided to give away their two balloons to other children.

I love how proud Addie is of her hugs. "Mommy, do you want a squish?" Then she squeezes with all her might and all her vocal umphs just for that extra special effect. Perfect.

I love that when we miss each other, Ellie tells me that we can always hug each other in our dreams.

Addie puts on a dress and says "LOOK MOMMY! I look zactly like a girl wearing a dress!"

I love that when Daddy took Ellie to the store to get a special treat (new LeapPad game) she insisted on getting Addie something too. She came up with the idea herself.

Tid Bits

In an attempt to give Addie some quality one-on-one time with Gramma since she hasn't ever done so, I love that she asked "Why is my sister not wif me?" And when told why, she responded with "But I LOVE my sister!"

I love that we managed to reach the $10,000/year limit that my employer has for matching charity donations. That feels good.

I love that my husband, upon hearing a Broadway Musical song he knows (or even one that isn't from Broadway), sings as though he is the one up on stage instead of the one in the kitchen doing dishes. That same gene has been passed on to Ellie.

Today I'm thankful for my youngest daughter who was SOOOOOO excited about the plan to go to sleep and think of me, and I'd go to sleep thinking of her so that we could hug each other in our dreams.

Tid-Bits

To Addie, elevators don't exist, but it sure is fun to ride the aligator up and down. She especially loves pushing the buttons herself.

Addie: I'm almost five years y'old like Lori-elle!
She's so proud of her potty-training.

We had a cousin visiting us (how did I manage to not write about it?) with his family. Selah (age 4) and I were hanging out together and she told me "It feels like we are friends." I sure hope so, Selah.

"No matter how big and bad you are, when a two year old hands you a toy phone, you answer it." Love it.

I love that when I ask Addie to help me up, she generously offers me a single pinkie finger to hold onto.

I love sniffing Strawberry Shortcake dolls with Ellie. She collapses into a fake coma on the floor just like I do. Good stuff.

I love seeing the girls' eyes light up when they see each other at the end of the day. Ellie runs up to Addie and gives her a big hug, picking her up and (barely) carrying her towards the front door. Addie squeels with delight. "Look at my sista!"

Tid-Bits

While brushing her hair, and getting stuck on a tangle, Ellie yelled "OUCH! Be careful Mommy. You're brushing out my brain!"

I love that when smelling flowers, Addie will start with her feet flat on the ground and end up on her tip toes as she inhales. Sometimes, for maximum results she'll do a little hop, thinking it will somehow get more of the good stuff into her nose.

Whenever Addie has a secret, it has to do with going to the field yesterday.

Addie: Iz it can be funny if I go to da park esterday?
Yes, but then again everytime you talk about the park I laugh.

While on the phone with Grampa, nodding silently to answer his questions:
Mommy: Addie, you should answer him with words. Use your words. Tell Grampa something.
Addie: Gampa, I go to da field esterday!

I love that when Addie sees the Eiffel Tower, she says "Is where you and daddy oosed to live!" Our Eiffel Tower story just keeps getting better and better.

Addie: We're laughing off gether, right Mommy?
I think that's a fantastic way of saying we're all laughing together. We're laughing off. Love it.

During our long drive back from Oklahoma we past what seemed to be an infinite field of windmills in Kansas.  Ellie counted them all - all the way up to infinity-nine. That's a lot of windmills.

You have to laugh at the fact that after driving across the country to see an open drive-through zoo filled with various exotic animals right outside your window, Ellie announced that her favorite animal was the baby beaver (a.k.a. prairie dog).

Addie: We saw a baby hippo yes-der-day.
Pappy: Oh you did?
Addie: And and it was growing to be really big like Mommy some day.

Tid-Bits

Mommy: What's your favorite color?
Addie: Ummmm... Sparkles!

Ellie: When my horse says "Neigh Neigh" it means he's happy. Neigh Neigh. Sometimes when he says "Neigh" it means he's hungry. He says Neigh a lot.
Mommy: Addie, what does your horse say?
Addie: He says "carrots" lotsa times!

I love it how Addie says her foot is "cinkly" when it falls asleep. Ellie says her foot is "wrinkly." Too cute.

Ellie: I'm cold. Can I please have some socks?
Daddy: I'll go get you some socks.
Ellie: Stinky socks, please! They keep my feet warmer!

I love that whenever Addie realizes she's following me down a hallway, she starts roaring "Rarr!" and clawing with her hands as though she's a monster chasing me.

I giggle at the fact that Ellie now knows about my blog. If one of the girls does something that makes me laugh, she says "Are you going to write that one down?" I wonder what age she'll start saying "Oh, please don't right that down!" instead.

Ellie: Mommy, did you know that you listen to me better than anyone else?

Recall Addie's obsession with "I go to da field today!"...
Ellie: Addie, do you know why I'm mad at you right now?
Addie: Because you did not go to da field today?

Tid-Bits

I love the fact that Addie has had glitter in her hair for almost 2 months now. We simply can NOT get the sparkles out. She may be going to college like this.

Ellie: Beans beans, the magical fruit. The more you eat, the more you eat! Let's have beans for every meal!

I love that Addie says "Hi Yo!" instead of "Hello!" Oh so cute.

I think it's adorable how Addie will blow in my face whenever she thinks her breath smells good. Likely situations include: right after having an M&M or her daily vitamin.

I love how Addie likes to pretend to be a dragon and will come up to you and say "Rarr! I'm a baby dagon! Rarr!"

I think it's funny that both girls have started copying Mommy's "but no." I didn't realize I said it so often until they did. "Thank you for asking so nicely, BUT NO." Hearing Ellie saying that is funny to me. Hearing Addie say it is even more so. Perhaps you just have to hear if for yourself.

It's absolutely precious how Addie handles the situation when you tell her she can't have something:
Mommy: Sweetie, we need to leave your bear here.
Addie: But I love my bear!
Mommy: We can't have dessert until after you get a clean plate club.
Addie: But I love my dessert!
Mommy: Let's not pick that stick up. It's yucky.
Addie: But I love my tick!

I love how Addie says "Ta Da!" whenever she transforms herself. Put her coat on her head and "Ta Da! I'm a dagon!" Put a blanket on her head and "Ta Da! I'm a pincess!"

It's absolutely precious the way Addie says "ca buz" instead of "because."
Mommy: Why did you do that?
Addie: I... I... Ca buz I wanted to be a une-corn!
Mommy: Because you wanted to be a unicorn?
Addie: Yeah!

I love how Addie says "sof-a-me" (Soft me) to get me to pet her soft dress.

Addie: Dis is my you-n-corn. Dis is my dagon. Dis is my pegasus-sus.

Tid-Bits

I love that after months of being put away into a special box, Bun Bun is still the first thing that Ellie requests when she gets sick.

I love that Addie loves being piled under all her blankets. She doesn't like being under her sheets or covers, but pile half a dozen small blankets and she looks as happy as a bug. If you can see her under all the fluff, that is.

I love that fairly often you can hear Ellie telling Addie things like "And if you can't find me, do not worry. I am always here. You are special and you are in my heart. So I am always with you." She has even managed to come up with a song or two with the same theme.

I love that Addie calls Ellie "Lora," "Loria," "Lorelle," "Lee-elle," but recently the most common version has been "Leol" with a soft ending "l" so it sounds more like "Leo."

I love how proud Ellie is to know we watch her during swim lessons. "Are you going to watch me, Mommy? Because I'm going to be so awesome! All I can do is try my very best, but you will see I am going to be so awesome!"

I love that the girls like to see each other giggle. If Daddy is doing something like bouncing the bed around Ellie, she'll giggle and insist "Do it to At-a-line!" Once he's bouncing Addie's bed, she'll say "Do it to Lee-elle!"

Ellie: I know someping that is so funny it will make you laugh all the way!

I love that Addie's ABC's go like this: A B C D E F G H I J K ELMO P Q R S T U V W X Y Z.

I think it's funny how when Daddy is out of town (and thus Ellie gets to sleep with me), Ellie will try to pretend that everything at bed time is "normal" so that Addie doesn't know. She knows that I always sing a bed time song, so she does that for Addie. Then she closes the door and says "Night night, At-a-line. Night night, Lori-elle." Hehehe... Get it? She says it instead of me. I wonder when Addie will catch on.

Perhaps the first AND only time that Ellie has ever eaten all her food AND finished BEFORE the rest of us happened last week while at Red Robin for dinner. Afterwards, she bragged about being first for quite some time - she was so proud. "When I grow up, I'm going to teach everyone how I finished first today!"

Tid Bits

It's strange to think that this is the last post of 2011... I suppose a Tid-Bits post is appropriate, but I have to just say that I am one incredibly blessed mother. Life is good.

I love that when Addie is happy, she says "I haf 'appy feet! See?" and proceeds to stomp around. She does it daily. Love it.

I love that Ellie is starting to understand the concept of Santa having "helpers" who dress up and pretend to be him, but the way she asks about it cracks me up. "Mommy? That Santa isn't human, is he? Right?"

I love how Addie gets incredibly quiet when she's tired. She'll nod to answer "yes" but beyond that, the only response you'll get from her is a blank stare.

I love to see how proud Ellie is to hand over Christmas presents that she bought with her OWN money to those she loves. MAGIC.

I love how when Addie comes home, she goes up to the Christmas tree and rearranges a few bulbs. Our tree has subtle changes every day.

I love watching Addie and Ellie give each other hugs and kisses before parting ways at school. Addie has even begun to say "I love you, Lee-elle." Sigh. Melt my heart.

There are certain dresses that the girls have that are super soft (velvet, perhaps)? They love to wear dresses, but in particular these ones. I'm sure it has something to do with Mommy claiming that she just can't help herself... she just HAS to hug them if they're wearing something so soft. And she just can't stop hugging them and may never let them go. It's not my fault. They're THAT soft.

I am so blessed to have two girls who do not hesitate to say they're sorry if they accidentally hurt someone. Sure they feel bad. They feel guilty, but they are able to apologize, give hugs and know that they're still loved even if they made a mistake.

Ellie used to call Gummie Bears "Yummy Bears," but Addie calls them "Dummy Bears."

I love that Ellie calls Antlers "Ant Ears" and she insists that butterflies have them (instead of antenna).

I've said it before, but I'll say it again (it's just THAT GOOD)... I absolutely love how every time Addie tells me she loves me, she says "I love you, Best Friend!" I think it's impossible to top that one.

I love how the girls have developed the habit of "falling asleep" as soon as we get home. They pretend to be sleeping when Mommy and Daddy get them out of the car. Daddy usually tickles Ellie until she can hardly breathe and Mommy usually carries Addie in like a baby.

Speaking of "pretending to sleep," I think it's funny when Addie approaches me, walking with her eyes closed. She's pretending to be asleep but wants to be closer to me. Too cute.

I have to giggle now that Addie has become the Enforcer of polite manners. If Ellie (or even Mommy or Daddy, for that matter) wants something, she says "Say peas!" before giving it to us. Afterwards she's so proud of herself for being nice.

Tid-Bits

Wihtout any prompting, Addie will often say "I you Mommy." Awww... I love you too Addie!

Ellie wishing upon a star: "I wish dat Mommy, Daddy, Addie and me will be friends for all time because dey mean da whole world to me forever."

I love how when she expects something to be loud, Addie puts her hands over her cheeks, not her ears.

I love how much Ellie tries to get Daddy to tickle Mommy. It's as though she knows the more Daddy does it, the happier we all are. Shh... don't tell Daddy she may be on to something.

I love how Addie always whispers "Cock" to let me know it's "dark" outside.

I'm impressed by how well Ellie did with Addie's big girl room. She was so supportive of her little sister and so proud. She didn't take any time to complain about not getting her own new room.

On the way to Nana's house, you can often hear Addie quietly saying "Nana's house? No... Nana's house? No..." as we drive through the neighborhood.

I love how Ellie is when we hang out with our friends and their younger kids. She likes to be the leader but she goes out of her way to make sure that even the shyest of the friends are included in the fun.

An email from the Mommy of one of Addie's friends:
I know it’s been ages since we chatted. It’s fun to see Addie again at Sunset. This morning when I dropped off Michael Ms. Kim said, “give Mom a kiss and hug goodbye” I was kneeled down and Addie ran over and gave me a hug. She is so cute!

I love that Addie enjoys trying to get me to yawn. She seems to think that if she just opens her mouth, I will yawn. She's often right.

I wish that I had been able to transcribe the lyrics to a 20 minute long song titled "I'm Ellie" that was so rudely interrupted by our arrival at our destination (even after taking the scenic route). Darn. I don't think I could even do justice to how many random thoughts it included, though I do recall her singing "And I am loved, so very loved" and "I am precious" a few times, so I guess that's all that matters.

I love that while Ellie was proudly showing off her artwork to Addie's teacher, Addie just stood there next to her big sister, rubbing her back as though to say "It's so good to see you, sister."

I love how in Addie's world, roosters say "Cock a do do!"

I love that when asked what she's thankful for, Ellie said "I'm thankful because I'm special." Then Addie said "Special too!"

Tid-Bits

I love hearing Addie say "I love you, Mama" on the phone. It's more like "I lu lu Mama." I recall Ellie's version was more like "I lubui."

I got a kick out of how much Ellie's mannerisms affected us even when we were far from her in Europe. We'd see something neat and say something like "Cool is dat? Mommy, cool is dat?"

I loved to hear Addie say "Lo Mama" on the phone. She's getting so big. "Hello, Addie! Mommy loves you!"

I had to giggle at some of the signs of being parents even while on vacation. For example, when a bird was begging for food from a person we just met while traveling, Michael said something along the lines of "Look at you, you're catching some princess vibes," referring to how animals talk to princesses. Only a father to young girls would have a thought like that.

Ellie: We can't eat dose berries because THEY. ARE. VISIBLE! They are poisonous, right?

On seeing headless mannequins at the store, Addie points and giggles and says "Owie head." I suppose she has a point.

I chuckle every time Addie asks to watch her favorite YouTube video: "Elmo cock?"

I get a kick out of Addie hiding behind my back.
Mommy: Where is Addie?
Addie: Don't know.
Mommy: Is she over here?
Addie: Noooo.

According to Ellie, the correct word for "bra" is "boo boo straps."

When Ellie was younger she insisted that the Beast from "Beauty and the Beast" was a "funny giraffe." Addie insists it's Mommy.

Addie speaks in whispers. We thought she wasn't talking much at all, but when Ellie was gone for a couple days we suddenly could hear Addie talking. Whispers, but she says a lot. Go figure.

I love how much the "Moon song" has meant to both girls. Ellie used to sing it when she missed Daddy when he was gone for work. Addie simply insists on singing it every night. "I see the moon and the moon sees me and the moon sees the one that I want to see..."

I love that even at the age of two, Addie still kisses all the animals in our "I Love You as Much" book. I need to get it on video.

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.

Tid-Bits

I love how Addie says hi to everything she loves to see. She sees hot air balloons - "Hi!" She sees a dog - "Hi!" She sees a train - "Hi!"

I love how Ellie will go up to a complete stranger and just to tell her "Excuse me, I think you're really pretty." I've had the pleasure of witnessing it a handful of times. I especially love that the girls she think are pretty enough to deserve such a compliment are not always the ones I would have picked. My Ellie is amazing.

I love that when Addie likes something, she says "I do! I do!" even if you haven't asked "Who wants... ?"

I love that, while looking through binoculars, Ellie will continue to speak loudly until she sees an animal. Then she'll start whispering.

I love when Addie walks with purpose, she swings one arm while the other stays stationary.

I love that when my girls are watching Tangled, they both sigh with "Ahh!" and "Ohh!" when the lanterns are lit.

I love it how when you ask "Who wants to do..." Addie puts her hand on her head (raising her hand) and says "I do!"

I love that Ellie will proudly announce "Look Mommy! I didn't get my dress too dirty!" while standing in front of me in a brown dress that I swear was white that same morning.

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.

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.

Tid-Bits

For the most part, Ellie is pretty good at sharing her stuff with Addie, but it made me laugh one day when was passing out candy and said "I will share. One for me and one for me."

One of the things I love about living in Gunbarrel (North part of Boulder) is the hot air balloons that take off nearly daily from a nearby park. Ellie loves them too and told me recently, "Hot air-o balloons are very special to me because dey make my heart sing." I couldn't have said it better.

I love how when you take Addie to Gramma's house, she automatically goes over to the shelves and starts handing you the stuff to put onto higher shelves. She knows how to child-proof places.

I love how Addie seems to enjoy my new stained glass photos as much as I do. She points to them and babbles a little every time she sees them, just to make sure you see them too.

I love that when I went to go wake up Ellie the first morning after we got back from England, she gave me a great big sleepy smile and then put her arm around me and went back to sleep.

I love that when Addie saw a picture book of bears at the book store, she squealed with delight and ran as fast as she could to the book to show us.

I love the fact that the first time Ellie ever tried the climbing wall at the rec center, she made it all the way to the top and rang the bell! Sometimes her courage astonishes me.

I think it's a bit strange how Addie insists that all dolls (including the Barbies) do NOT wear shoes. I wonder why.

Is there anything better than ice cream wars, where Ellie and Daddy fight over who gets the next bite, inevitably resulting in lots of laughter and giggles, perhaps even a snort or two, ice cream coming out of your nose or a toot - all of which create even more laughter? No, I guess that's as good as it gets.

I love how whenever Ellie sings the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" she bends over and pats her butt like the dog does in this video. Then proceeds to laugh and laugh, because let's face it... it's pretty darn funny.