*sigh*

I couldn't think of a title for this entry that would sum up how I'm feeling about summer coming to an end, so I went with the sound I hear myself making quite often these days. *sigh*

How can it be that the carefree days with my girls are ending for the season? How can it be that I can still remember the last day of school? How can it be that my days of sleeping in are coming to a close here soon? I know that EVERY year it's hard to go back to school after summer break, and I know that I'll get over it - because I have to. It's not that I'm worried about the girls - we LOVE our daycare more than words & they take such great care of the two most important girls in our lives. It's not that I'm not excited about moving to Kindergarten - I am thrilled to be tying shoes & talking about the sounds of letters again! (Ok - maybe not the tying shoes part.) :)

I am, however, sad that I won't get to see the girls when they wake up or hear M2 yell "Mama!" from her crib...she's a pretty cute alarm clock. They are sleeper-inners so I have a feeling that some days I won't get to see them until 4. Ugh. When I think it through though, I am glad that I HAVE a job, since I know some people can't find one. Through high school & college I ALWAYS wanted to be a teacher - so I know that this really is a dream come true. I can't promise that I won't miss my girls TERRIBLY (for at least the first couple weeks) though. :)

We have had a GREAT summer - even though it was way too short! We headed to the children's museum in Coralville a couple weeks ago. With only a minor glitch in our travels - it appears M2 gets carsick - eww - we had a lot of fun! We were SUPER thankful that my grandparents live in North Liberty so we could stop and do a little laundry.

Our little shopper

M1 checking us out

M2 in the basket of the hot-air balloon. Fun!

Pilots usually pose this way...right?! :)

Riding the carousel at the mall. M2 screamed the WHOLE time. This picture was taken before we started moving. She's a pistol!

So for the next two days I will enjoy what's left of my summer vacation & remember what B told me once..."If you want to keep your Gap card, you have to work." Ha! Of course that's not true, because I know that what I do every day impacts so many kids. Life is good...I just like to complain about getting up early. :)

We LOVE summer!

I'm IN LOVE with my vacation with my favorite girls! :) We really are having a great time together! I have decided that M2 is actually more fun every day. She's old enough now that she can do pretty much everything with M1 - or at least along SIDE of her. :) She's starting to talk more every day, can go with the flow a little more (as far as scheduling goes), & is truly a sweetheart. She's fun! It also helps that she's feeling better these days. I had a bit of a nervous breakdown about thinking she had allergies, and cleaned my heart out the other day. Which also meant that I got rid of our beloved recliner in her room - the same recliner that I grew up with. The same recliner that we have rocked both girls to sleep in numerous times. M1 was rocked to sleep for every nap and bedtime until she was 2! It's kind of sad, but I think it had it's 'time' for sure!

M1 is growing up so much this summer! She is getting to be such a little fish at the pool, and is jumping in and going down slides on her own. Yay! We're so proud of her! She still goes to private swimming lessons too. We have been going a few times every week so far & we're having a blast! M2 isn't always so sure about swimming, but she's pretty low maintenance while we're there - so it's okay. When we aren't at the pool, we're playing with the water table in the back, going to the library, the park - or doing whatever we want! :)

Having fun with the water table.

Fishin'

She loves it!

So sweet.

Scoopin' the Loop

Happy Summer!

SUMMER!!

Well, B said to me the other day..."You don't do anything all day, why can't you update the blog more often?" A couple things 1) He thinks the bathroom cleans itself and the children feed themselves obviously and 2) He was kidding. At least, he better have been! :)

Anyway...The summer has gotten off to a little bit of a rocky start with both girls on an antibiotic for sore throats, coughs, snot, you-name-it. I took M2 to the ER on Wednesday night around 1:30am when she woke up with a Croupy cough. I can pretty much identify that one since she's had it 3 times. Not fun. And I know that the ER doc was probably trying to make conversation and show he cared, but he didn't have to tell me the story of his own child almost dying from Croup. I mean, come on! I could hardly sleep last night after that! It's not like I'm not already a super-worrier about my kids' illnesses. Hopefully they'll be feeling better soon!

M1 went to Vacation Bible School all week - except today since the doc said we better skip it :( She was sad that she couldn't go since today was the last day, so I took her to Wal-Mart to pick out a toy. Nothing makes you feel better like a car for your Strawberry Shortcake dolls!

June started with M1's dance recital. So cute! She did great and had fun!

Tumbling outfit - she does a pretty sweet cartwheel ;)

Ballet outfit - w/a proud daddy!

Flowers for the tiny dancer.

Three of us. We're so proud! She's a little worn out. :)

M2 is trying to be a big girl these days (she's 16 months today!) and likes to do everything her sister does. She talks up a storm too - I love that part of this age! She can say a ton of animal sounds, family names, and lots of little phrases too. "nigh-night", "hi", "bye", "more", "drink" - she's probably the smartest kid in town. Ha! :)

Coloring with Uncle J!

"Don't bug me, I'm busy." :)

Silly baby!

So hopefully I'll find time to update the blog frequently this summer...but no promises.

HAPPY SUMMER!

She's 'FORE'!

People keep asking me if I can believe M1 is four. I guess I can't decide...I can vividly remember the day she was born and it seems like yesterday. At the same time it seems like SO long ago considering all that's happened in 4 years. I guess it's bittersweet to see your kids growing up. I'm so thankful that she's healthy and growing like she should, but I can see why people wish they would stay little 'forever'. I just love to see her growing and getting smarter by the day. She can identify all the alphabet letters, write her name (it's a long one!), and she knows all the letter sounds. As a teacher, I'm obviously proud. :) I already have a few things in mind to work on during the summer...poor girl. Ha!

Now to the good stuff... We had a GREAT party this past weekend for our birthday girl. It was actually more of a birthday WEEKEND than just a birthDAY, and it was perfect! For some reason I love birthdays. I think I remember how special I felt when I was little, and I want the same for my girls. On Friday M1 took sherbet cups and cute little butterfly treats to daycare. On Saturday we went out for breakfast (her idea) and then gave her a present every few hours - it was fun! She officially has a 'big girl' bike and she officially doesn't love it. :( Her little bird legs just aren't strong enough to keep her going. :) And on Sunday we had the big party - golf themed, since she's 'fore'! We feel so blessed that most of our family and friends are able to come to the parties. It wouldn't be the same without them.

Takin' a spin!

Our little Barbie collector.

My first attempt at making a birthday cake. She loved it & that's all that matters!

She's 'FORE'!

Lovin' the scooter!

M2 trying to sneak a ride. :)

Look out!

It appears that M2 just might figure out this walking thing after all! She is really starting to go the distance - across the room - and will choose to walk if she's already standing up. She is not quite ready to go from sitting, to standing, to walking though. One 'step' at a time - literally. Anyway...our daycare providers were so excited to share with me that M2 took 12 steps today - they were so proud. :) I was SURE that she would be an early walker since she started crawling at 7 months. Oh well. Just another 'classic M2' thing...she'll do it when SHE wants to do it. Uh oh! We may just have our hands full with this one. ;) Take a look at our little walkin' fool...ha!

M1 had her first dance pictures after school today. I am amazed at how much makeup and hairspray people put on their 4-year-olds. Wow! Listen - I don't even own lipstick, so we went with lip gloss; and although I do own blush, it's VERY neutral. So...M1 was pretty much 'au natural' tonight. I am not going to start putting all that on her already! She is beautiful just the way she is! :) I honestly saw a couple girls wearing mascara. Seriously?!? Forget it! We also had a visit from my brother tonight. M1 always loves a play date with her uncles. She could have played all night!

We finally got to CELEBRATE!

Well, after much stress over sickness & heart decorations waiting patiently for M2 to feel better, we were able to have her party! Yay! She was adorable (of course) and went to town on her birthday cupcake. :) She wasn't too excited about everyone watching her eat the cupcake though. It was so nice to have most of our family and friends there to help M2 celebrate her BIG day, even if it was a little delayed. It just didn't feel like she had turned one until we had her party. We think that she was waiting for her party to take her first steps too - she took 2 that night!! Now if we could get her to do that more often, we'd be set.

We're ready to party!

Gimme some more of that!

Our sweet little birthday girl.

We are so excited to make it to the year mark! It has been 'one sweet year', but also a year of too many ear infections and sickness. We pray for a little less eventful year this time around! At her 1-year check up this week she weighed in at a chunky 18lbs - that puts her in the 10th percentile for weight. Although M1 was in the 8th percentile when she was one, so M2 is tippin' the scales in this house. :) We're looking forward to Easter (with matching dresses of course) and planning M1's b-day - she'll be 4!! Wowza!

Happy Weekend!

A continuation of illnesses for M2...

How is it possible that one child can catch just about everything in her 1-year life? (I know - knock on wood...it can always be worse.) Anyway, what we thought was Croup after a 'convenient care' trip on Wednesday after school, turned into a stressful midnight trip on Thursday to the ER to find out that it was RSV. (Really Stupid Virus for those of you who don't know.) Ha! So, needless to say, our little one was miserable! I don't know if I can put into words, or explain it clearly enough, but having your 1-year-old get a chest x-ray could be the scariest thing. :(

There is a little table with a hole in the top. Inside the hole is a bike-type seat for their legs to go over. Then they put two plastic shields around her body really tight to hold her still. Did I mention that they make it tight with her arms straight up? Yeah, they do. Then they strap a couple belts around her so she can't move. M2 was half screaming and half trying to sleep. Poor baby. I could barely watch and was turned around crying most of the time. What seemed like 5 HOURS in the contraption, was probably only 5 minutes. I'm glad that's over. I think I apologized 100 times to my baby after that.

Of course my main concern on Friday morning was 'WHAT ABOUT THE PARTY?' Well, after talking to the cupcake lady (who had already made 42 of them!) we rescheduled it for March 6th. I don't even know WHY I schedule stuff with M2 around. Christmas Day (if you don't recall) was spent at home with her ear infection #3 & pink eye, and now her birthday party is postponed. We've decided that this is God's way of yelling at us that 2 kids are enough. :)

One other boy at daycare had RSV, and I was hoping we could avoid it - what was I thinking?! So she's on an antibiotic, a steroid, motrin/tylenol, and using a nebulizer a few times a day too. The nebulizer really does work pretty slick, although it does make me feel like we need a little two-wheel cart to pull it along. (Ok- that was mean.)

Here's proof of our crazy days...

(Ignore the list to the right. That was the stuff we needed for the party on Sat.) :(

Quite the display, huh?!

I feel like she's making baby steps every day, and that she'll be getting better any day now. As I sit here typing this update, she's in her crib laughing and talking when she should have been sleeping 40 minutes ago. Stinker! But maybe that's a sign!? We'll see. I make no plans with her, remember.

Cuddle time with daddy...sportin' the onesie to keep her cooled off.

Mmm...blueberry muffins!

So our baby is ONE now, but we haven't officially celebrated it, and she doesn't know anyway. Ha! Thanks for checking in on us. I'll keep you posted on her progress! And seriously - COME ON SPRING!!!

I LOVE MY BROTHER!

I can't believe I forgot to mention that my little brother...ok, he's 6'5" so I guess he's not little...but he's still my 'baby brother'. Anyway...he called to wish me a Happy Birthday on my birthday. What awesome brothers I have! How did I get so lucky?! In the midst of college life, basketball practice, and who-knows-what-else-college-kids-do, he thought of me! :) Love you L!

My bros & M1 on her birthday in May.

Ok..so I'm a little partial to February...

Us girls on my bday...still in my 20s by the way. :)

Those of you who know me, know I LOVE my birthday. I can't pin-point why that is, but for some reason I really look forward to it! My birthday started out great - a late start! I got to sleep in a little, and B ran to the bakery for doughnuts. Tasty! He surprised me at school with a Chai (my favorite!) and a sweet poem. He also brought me a massage certificate and some ca$h for shopping. It doesn't get much better than this! We enjoyed supper at Applebee's with my mom and brother. A day of ALL my favorite things. He did awesome!

We spent Saturday eating and shopping while my mom babysat. (Thanks Kiki!) It was a great day! Starting your day with Texas Roadhouse is ALWAYS a good thing! It was sort of a birthday-slash-Valentine's date day.

We're getting all ready (ok - I'M getting all ready) for M2's big party on Saturday! I think I've made a dent in the decorating, and I'll be working on favors soon. I want my kids to love their birthdays too, so I don't hold back. :) (It's all worth it...right honey?!) It's been a 'sweet' year with M2, and that's the theme! Hearts all around! I think it will be so cute. I'll post pictures soon. Although I'm sure if you read this that you'll be there. Ha!

I am home with her today since she woke up with a fever...poor thing. Not sure what that's all about. She has a cough, and was acting like she had a sore throat this morning, but seems to be okay otherwise. Hmmm. Hopefully she'll be feeling better in no time.

M1 is ALWAYS up for learning new things, and her newest is cutting with scissors! She really wanted some, and I thought it would be a good idea to practice those kinds of things for preschool. A couple pictures of her trying to figure them out...

Ha - hilarious face! You'll get it babe.

Thinkin' pretty hard.

Ok, so I NEVER would have let M1 crawl in the cupboard and play with pans. What's the deal with letting M2? Maybe I'm not as strict? Not as routine? Hmm...not that's not it...I'm too routine! Oh yeah, maybe it's because M2 seems to get her way because she'll yell until she gets it. She's the ultimate 'little sister'. It's easier to give in sometimes. (I said SOMEtimes...I still stick to my guns most of the time.) :) She IS pretty stinkin' cute though.

Look at her little self...perfect fit!

Totally TUBE-ular!

Well, today was a BIG day for our little one! After 4 ear infections and many sleepless nights, we decided to do ear tubes for M2. We had to check in at the hospital at 7:00 (that's AM!) for M2's ear tube 'surgery'. I just hate that word. I prefer 'procedure'...that makes me not as scared! :)

Our morning:

7:00 - Check In (Nana came to hang out here since M1 doesn't get up even CLOSE to that early - thanks Nana!)

7:55 - The nurses came to take M2 to the 'procedure' room

8:05 - The doc came in to tell us she was done and that there was lots of 'gunk' in her ears

8:15 - M2 was given back to us & she slurped down her bottle since she hadn't eaten since 8:00pm last night

8:30 - Home Sweet Home

8:45-12:00 - M2 naps! :)

I have to admit that it was scary to hand her to the nurses and watch them walk down the hall. But, it really was a fast procedure! They sent us home with ear drops, her little mask from the sleeping gas, and little ear plugs for swimming and baths (they're pink!). I can't believe how long she slept when we got home - but she woke up SO happy! Yay! I have heard SOOOO many stories about how much happier their child was after tubes, so I'm hoping the same thing happens for us. Cross your fingers! I told my dad that I'm hoping it will make her quieter too, now that she can hear better. Ha!

M2 in her hospital jammies

What would we do without the blankie?!

Waiting with my sleepy girl.

There she goes...

I know people go through WAY worse things than ear tubes, so I have to remember that. No biggie. Well...the bill wasn't necessarily 'small'...but I would pay big bucks to have healthy children and SLEEP!

Malts & Matching Jammies

I had a few cute pictures to share, and since this is my New Year's resolution, I thought I better keep on top of things here! Last weekend we enjoyed malts after naps on Saturday...M1 was so excited to help out, and slurped it right down!

Enjoying our strawberry malts. Mmmm!

Uh oh! Looks like someone is waiting for a taste! :)

For Christmas the girls got matching pjs from their grandma and grandpa. M1 LOVES that they get to match, and M2 doesn't know what's going on. Ha! She insisted that I take pictures of them. Good idea!

Goofballs!

Thanks for checkin in...at least, I hope people are checkin in! Leave a comment or two so I know SOMEONE is seeing this. :)

Snip Snip

Well, M1 is GORGEOUS after her haircut, and she had so much fun! The girl who cut her was also named M, so that made her happy too. Take a look at our beauty...

In the 'special' chair :)

So pretty

A balloon AND a sucker?! Wow!

back

side

What a dolly!