playing/fighting

My girls know how to play and fight hard. We are going to have some interesting teen years. I love listening to the girls trample down the hallway playing tag, but it never ceases to amaze me how quickly their squeals of joy turn to shrieks of anger. They are both so dang independent and want everything to be equal among them. If it's not, they notice and let me know about it.

The other day we were baking in the kitchen and well...things started out okay. We made sure we had two chairs and two baking utensils per peanut and they were happy...until they weren't. V's foot slid onto Mya's chair for just a second so Mya took V's measuring cup and well hitting ensued. I let it continue for a few minutes because I wanted to see if they could work it out...which didn't happen. I stepped in and forced a hug. The hug was given grudgingly, but it worked. They were happy again.

an early princess party for Genevieve

V turns two next Friday! I always forget she isn't a toddler yet. She is still a baby but come Friday, we will no longer count her age by months, but by years. Cathy came out for a short visit this week and we decided to have a small party to honor our little bubba. She loved it! 

I know some of the pictures of V might seem repetitive, but I just wanted to capture all of her faces. While she loves to receive attention, she becomes very shy when she realizes attention is solely on her. She makes the sweetest faces. I also wanted to capture some of Mya's sad/solemn faces because well, that is how she looked most of the party. Mya doesn't like it when Genevieve gets all the attention, and she wears her heart on her sleeve. She required lots of hugs that night (and a bit of scolding). She finally came around when she realized Grandma brought her a small gift too. (Grandmas are so clever.)

Thank you Cathy for the visit and for the party favors. I think our little princesses loved them.

Disney on Ice

The woman I babysit for gave us tickets for Disney on Ice. The tickets were for Valentine's Day so we decided to take our little peanuts to the show. Let's just say they loved it. And that's probably an understatement. V is in love with Mickey and Minnie Mouse so the whole evening all we heard was "Where'd Mickey/Minnie go?" She didn't like it when they left the ice. 

Mya believed the people dancing were the actual princesses she knows and loves so well. The whole event was magical. Everyday since the show Mya has asked me to take her to Disney Junior (Disneyland). I found her in her bedroom shaking coins out of her piggy bank. When I walked in and saw the mess of money, I asked her what she was doing and she replied, "Mom, you can have all my money to help with going to Disney Junior. I know it's expensive." Oh babe, if you only know. It's a dream of mine to take these girls to the famous theme park, but we need to save our pennies. Maybe one day.

lately

Sorry it's been awhile. Let's just say that I am barely trying to keep my head above water after babysitting all day everyday.  The girls are doing great (with the exception of the continuous runny nose and dry cough...dang winter). I took Elle to the doctor last week and at five months she weighs 13.75 pounds and is 25 inches long. Tall and skinny. I weighed the other girls while waiting for the doctor and V weighs just over 33 lbs and Mya just about 38. Mya is 42 inches tall and V is 37 1/2 inches. 

Can I just take a minute and tell you how fast time is flying?! Mya will be five this year. What the what? I know. It's crazy. V turns two in less than two short weeks. She is not transitioning into toddlerhood very well. Her tantrums are coming more frequently and without reason. I am doing my best to manage all three (plus the two I babysit) with the small shred of sanity I claim. Elle is still not sleeping more than 3 hours at a time. It is exhausting and frustrating. With V teething and Mya sleeping on a sleeping bag in our room, we are unable to let her cry it out only because we need to get the little sleep we know she will grant us. 

I feel a little crazy at the moment. I feel like I am trying to balance nursing and birth control hormones all. the. time. It is draining and with the lack of sleep...I feel like I am slipping in the whole "keep a well-balanced life" aspect. I have been very open about it with Tim and we are trying to come up with reasonable solutions. 

I think that's just about all on my mind right now. There's a lot...too much...going on around these parts, but things will calm down soon enough.

my girls and the little blue dress

Mya wanted to match her sisters on Sunday. If you know me at all, you know I oppose matchey matchey things, but how can you say no to a very convincing 4 year old? There is so much love between these girls. I adore them.

no words

There are no words to describe how much I love this picture. And I mean love.

A weekend snowfall

It finally snowed on the weekend, and the girls were able to enjoy the freshly fallen snow with their more adventurous daddy. While I will play in the snow for a few minutes, Tim usually sits outside with them for as long as they want. He deals with the cold better. I am a wimp. Mya and Tim made a tiny snowman (woman) named Bubbles. It wasn't the right snow so they struggled to get her this big. I wish you could've seen Mya's face when she came running in to tell me about the snowman. She is in love with snow.

V also loves the snow--but for a completely different reason. She loves to eat it until her cheeks, tongue and mouth freezes. This occurred on Saturday and she came inside screaming begging for "hot, hot." I instantly threw her in the bath and let those sweet red cheeks thaw out.