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Thursday, January 22, 2009

baby, it's cold outside

Ah, tonight was one of those great nights. We actually had a night with nowhere to go and nothing to do and we enjoyed a quiet evening at home. The cold front that's here is perfect!! It's cold enough that it really feels like winter, but still warm enough that we can play outside without needing to bundle up. Tonight we lit some candles on the front porch and sat with the girls drinking hot cocoa and looking for stars. It was such a refreshing time, being outside with our girls and listening to them talk and taking the time to really see how much they are growing. It was one of those moments that makes it all worthwhile.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

coincidence...or not?
















It's probably not a coincidence that my blogging seems to have slowed down ever since Rex joined the family. My days are that much more chaotic now juggling three kids and a puppy. It's been a challenge keeping Rex and Claire separated for most of the day because he would rather be top of her face than anywhere else in the house :) I think that I threaten to get rid of him at least once a day, but I know that Emma would be heartbroken so it never actually happens. Oh, well....

We had a great Christmas this year! After "santa" came on Christmas Eve, I could hardly fall asleep because I was so excited for the girls to open their presents the next day!! We had both of our families at our house this year and although it was a lot of work and not a lot of rest for me, it was great to have everyone together :) The weekend after New Years, the girls stayed home with Ryan and I went on a much needed girls weekend to Orlando with my mom and sister. It was so nice to get away with them without the kids and Ryan kept busy with the girls-they had a blast. Maybe I'll have to get away more often!

So much is new with the kids....

Emma got her ears pierced last weekend. She was so brave! I was so proud of her. There was only one girl working so they had to do one ear at a time. You could tell that she really wanted to cry but she was willing herself not to. She is so proud of her new earrings and wearing her hair in a ponytail everyday so that everyone will notice them! Emma is going through a phase where she is very jealous of Madeline and therefore is mean to her all day long. That has been one of the biggest struggles for me lately. It's hard to balance disciplining Emma for being mean to her sister and at the same time making sure that I don't come across as favoring Maddie. Does that make sense?! Ugh, girls and their emotions...I am in for it!! Fortunately, Madeline is still little enough that she is very resiliant and not easily bothered by it and most of the time she doesn't even realize that it's happening. We have been busy trying to pick out a school for Emma to start Kindergarten next year. I start touring the schools this week and it is an overwhelming decision-especially when the schools here do not meet the standards that I am used to. The thought of sending my baby away everyday to a school that I am not comfortable with is so unsettling for me. I am praying that God would make the decision clear to us.

Madeline had her first dance recitial. It was the cutest thing ever....a group of two year olds in giant pink tutus up on stage. And the best part was how much she loved it--she ate it up! The rest of the night she kept trying to get back on the stage, begging "I do that again, mommy!". She's starting to become so much more of a little girl than a toddler. Her vocabulary has been increasing so much and every now and then she gets a little bit of an attitude with me. I'll ask her to do something and she responds with "ug, moooooom". Hmmm...wonder where she learned that.

Claire is seven months old!!! I cannot believe it. She is eating lots of solid foods now. Some days she likes everything and opens her mouth wide to eat and other days she keeps her lips tightly sealed and I need to force feed her. Emma is actually the best at feeding Claire because she can do an "airplane" with the spoon just right and it cracks Claire up and then she opens her mouth wide enough for lots of food to go in :) She's been saying mum and mama and lately she says dada all the time. I think Ryan secretly loves it!! She's started to show little signs of a temper when you take a toy away from her-she now notices and gets mad.

Ryan got back on Friday from a nine day trip to Chile. I was heartbroken as he was leaving and cried all afternoon thinking that I was not gonna survive without him. We made it, though. With lots of help from his parents, of course! It's so good to have him back-hopefully it will be a while before we have to part with him again.