Everyday Moments

My two Stars

2012-01-29T20:51:00.001-06:00

It was observation week at dance, so I got to snap a few pics of my beautiful stars practicing their ballet dances.

Oh boy!

2012-01-27T19:09:00.000-06:00

As per our tradition, we went shopping for a baby outfit after our ultrasound this morning....

We had a great ultrasound tech. She explained everything in such detail and told us about all the abnormalities that they check for. I didn't realize there are so many things that could be wrong...and it's such a feeling of relief to hear that everything about our little boy looks normal. I have an appointment next week with my doctor to go over the "official" results, but obviously anything major has been ruled out. Baby was measuring at 11 oz, and by his size my due date should be 8 days earlier. The doctor will decide whether or not to change my due date, but since both of my girls came a little early, I don't think it will make much difference.

A BOY! Wow. I was totally, without a doubt, expecting another girl. I had been expecting a girl from the moment we found out I was pregnant. And to be honest, I started crying when she told us it was a boy. Disappointment is not the right word, just mostly shock (and hormones.) I get girls. I know how to do girls. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to be having a boy, happy to be able to experience the other side, and happy that Nate gets his son. It's just that I had been picturing our family with 3 little girls for so long that it's just going to take a little while to process this new family picture.

Now it's time to start going through all of our baby stuff to see what we might need. I have a feeling this little guy may just have to deal with a little pink. :)

2 1/2

2012-01-20T17:05:00.002-06:00

Dear Grace,
At 2 1/2 you are assertive, feisty, opinionated, independent, strong-willed, persistent, and demanding. You are a force to be reckoned with some days. The "trying" two's would be an accurate description of this age for you. You will get what you want out of life and let nothing stand in your way. Good traits to have in the future, but quite frustrating for me right now and it results in a lot of time-outs for you. There are a lot of "battle of the wills" and tantrums, some days worse than others. I'm not sure if it's the falling to the floor kicking and screaming when I say No or the direct disobedience that's worse. I'll tell you no to something, and sometimes you'll do it anyway. If you ask to watch a movie and I say No, you'll stomp right in to the TV and turn it on. If you ask for a snack and I say No, you'll stomp right over to the cabinet and grab the crackers. Such a stinker. I even asked you once why you were doing something that you knew you were not supposed to do, and you responded with "I'm just naughty." But hopefully as you get older and get a better handle on your emotions, life will get easier around here. But I do love my spirited children! You can your sister certainly keep me on my toes.

You are also so, so silly, sweet, and downright adorable. There is nothing cuter than a two-year old. Sometimes I am just overwhelmed with my love for you. Despite the battles, you can be such a caring and loving little girl. Your Dad and I have decided that you must be bi-polar. Because you can go from screaming and crying to giggling and giving hugs in 2 seconds flat. Like I said, once you learn a more acceptable way to handle those emotions of anger and disappointment, life will be fabulous, because you really are so sweet. I love the random hugs and "I love you mama" 's that I get throughout the day. And I also see the nurturing side of you when you are playing with your stuffed animals and dolls. You take such good care of them. And you are so funny. You are our little comedian. And it's not just because you're little and cute, you are genuinely funny. You do or say things with the purpose of making us laugh. You tend to be just a little reserved around strangers, so not everyone gets to see this silly side of you. But you really are a goofball!

You've turned into such a picky eater. New foods or anything with some type of "sauce" on it, immediately gets an "I don't like this" and you push your plate away. You'll eat pasta completely plain, no sauce, no butter, nothing. Your favorite foods are mac and cheese, ravioli (chicken and cheese filled, but no sauce on top of course) and yogurt. You also have an obsession with fruit, especially bananas and berries. Vegetables are another story, but I think if I keep offering them, eventually you'll start eating them. Claire went through the no veggie phase too, but I didn't give up and now she's a veggie lover. And you would still guzzle milk all day long if I let you. You're going to have some strong bones!

You are very tall for your age. I'm guessing that you're sticking in that 95% percentile that you've been in at your previous well-child checks. You're wearing clothes that Claire wore when she was well over 3. Once Claire outgrows something, I just move it into your room. Maybe someday you'll be wearing the same sizes! Because you're so tall, you get mistaken for being much older than you really are. Your hair is the same shade of dark blond as Claire's and your eyes are the same shade of blue as both Claire and Dad. You have all your teeth now that all of your two year molars are fully in.

You love movies and if I didn't set limits, you would probably be happy watching videos all day long. But you also enjoy books, dolls, cars, and playing dress up. Your imagination is awesome. Sometimes you'll start telling me a story and I can't always tell if it's something that really happened or something you made up. When you and your sister play together, you guys come up with the craziest things. I love it. Your favorite pretend game with Claire is playing mommy/baby. You are always the mommy.

When Claire isn't around, you are a total chatterbox. I love having conversations with you. You're getting into this phase of constant questioning. For example, in the car this morning, "Where does snow come from? Why is it white? Who made winter? Why do we live on Earth?" and on and on. You're much quieter when Claire is around, but really it's hard for anyone to talk when Claire gets going. You're also pretty quiet around strangers. There is no separation anxiety and you'll go to any new adult quite willingly, but it just takes you a little while to feel comfortable talking to them. You like Claire's friends, but you avoid kids your own age or younger unless you know them well.

You and Claire can be the best of friends. I love listening to you two playing together. You have so much fun. You're finally at a good age that you are both interested in similar things. You come up with pretend games, you play princesses or barbies, and you both love playing dress up. It definitely warms my heart when you are playing so nicely together and all I hear are giggles coming from both of you. But probably simply because you two are together so much, there is inevitable fighting. Fighting, screaming, whining, crying...man, it can get really bad. And you do purposely aggravate Claire quite often. As annoying as the fighting is, I guess it's just part of being siblings. It will be interesting to see how the sibling dynamic changes when there is one more.

At night you sleep from about 8-8:30pm to about 7:30am. Starting in November, you stopped napping on a regular basis. Why is it that both of my kids require so little sleep?? Right now, you only nap about 3 times a week. If we're home, then I do put you down for a nap everyday and you don't complain about it, but you just stay awake talking or singing to yourself. While I'd love to have that break everyday, it does make it easier to do things when I don't have to plan around nap time.

In addition to your weekly Music class and ECFE Two's class, you recently started dance class. And you're loving it. You're the youngest in your class and because of your age you're just physically unable to do everything, but it's so cute to watch you try! I also recently filled out your application for preschool in the fall. Because of your summer birthday, I debated about waiting another year, but after having a meeting with the 3-4 yr old preschool teacher, she convinced me that you would be more than ready by the fall. You'll be going to the same preschool Claire attended because we've had nothing but wonderful experiences there. And because I've had to drag you along to drop off and pick up for almost 2 years with Claire, the teachers already know you and I think the familiarity of the place will help with the transition too.

It's hard to believe you are already 2 1/2. Who gave you permission to grow up so fast?! I really want to thoroughly enjoy and take in every moment of the next 5 months, before it becomes all sorts of crazy around here with a newborn. As much as I complain about your temper, I do absolutely adore you and everything about you. It's amazing how much love one heart can hold.

Love, Mom

My Littlest Ballerina

2012-01-07T11:26:00.001-06:00

So Grace started dance class this morning. And you may not believe it, but it wasn't even my idea! I was fine with her waiting until the fall to start. But as I was helping Claire get ready for her dance class on Wednesday, Nate asked when Grace would be able to start. The age they allow you to enroll is 2 1/2 and as of Jan. 2, Grace is officially 2 1/2. Nate was excited and told me to look into it. So I talked to the teacher (the fabulous preschool teacher is finally back from maternity leave..yay!) about whether Grace could start in the middle of the year and she said Grace could try it for a couple weeks and she would let us know how Grace is doing and then we could decide if we want to commit to the rest of the year (including recital, etc.)

To say Grace was excited would be an understatement. She slept with either tap or ballet shoes on for 2 nights in a row and we had multiple battles over wearing her leotard all day long. Today was the day, and there was no hesitation at all. We got there and she was the one hurrying me, "Come on mama, let's hurry!" "Help me with my shoes!" "I don't wanna be late!" I introduced her to Miss Heather and she just ran into the room without even a goodbye to me. She's obviously the youngest (though definitely not the smallest) in class and all the other girls have already had 3 months of experience, but she did really well. She listened well, followed directions, and attempted to do everything. I was impressed and proud of her! I briefly talked to Miss Heather after class, and she also said Grace did really well. And most importantly, Grace had "great fun!"

16 weeks

2012-01-04T13:41:00.001-06:00

I realize I haven't posted much on this new baby. And forget belly pics, I haven't gotten around to any of those yet. Oh the poor third child, already being neglected!
I had my 16 week prenatal visit yesterday. Everything is going well. If there is any truth to the old wives tale, at all 3 of my prenatal appts the baby's heart rate has been in the 160's. Both Claire and Grace's heart rates were always high too. I'm thinking girl, but I'm not sure if that's intuition or just that after 2 girls my head is permanently stuck on pink and it's hard to even imagine anything else. My ultrasound is in 3 weeks, so if baby is cooperative we will find out then!
I've been feeling much better in the last couple weeks and I'm so grateful for that. It was a rough first trimester. I've also been feeling the little one wiggling around, which is so awesome. My stomach has definitely grown. I was still in regular clothes at this point with the previous two pregnancies, but I guess by the third pregnancy my body is just giving up. I'm in maternity clothes, although everything is still too big. I really need to just buy some regular clothes in the next size up.
Claire is very excited and asks about the baby constantly. She wants another sister. Grace talks about everything she's going to give the new baby, whom according to her is going to be a boy, named Diego. She's all about giving the baby all of her old things (so that she can get new!) The girls will be sharing a bedroom in the near future. I originally thought that Grace could stay in her room for awhile, since the baby will be sleeping in our room for the first couple of months. But with all her stuff still in the room, where would I put all the baby clothes, diapers, rocking chair, etc. So she'll be moving out sooner rather than later. It's just a matter of reorganizing Claire's room to make room for Grace. Claire's excited about bunk beds, but not so excited about sharing her room. And if anyone else tells me, "Since the nursery is already gender neutral, you won't even have to change a thing" they obviously don't know me very well. One more chance to decorate a baby's room...I'm not turning that down! I already have some ideas floating around in my head for both boy and girl rooms.

A new do for a new year!!

2011-12-29T15:30:00.002-06:00

Claire has been growing out her hair for over a year. She has been insistent that she wanted hair like Rapunzel's. But the longer it got, the more struggles we had. She hates having her hair brushed, washed, or even touched. I was getting so tired of the daily screaming. And while her long hair looked so pretty when it was brushed and styled, she so rarely let me do anything with it. So several months ago we started talking about getting it cut and we both agreed on after Christmas as our date. At the time, Christmas seemed so far away that she agreed to it. The last few days as we've been talking about it, she was hesitant, but she knew we had a deal.

So today was the day. As the stylist was cutting it shorter and shorter per my request (10 inches off!), Claire's scowl grew bigger and bigger. When the lady finished up and let Claire look in the mirror, she burst into tears and declared, "It's way too short!!" Then she hopped out of the chair, ran into my arms and just sobbed and sobbed! How horrible of a mom did I feel at that moment! But as we were walking out and everyone was telling her how pretty she looked, she seemed to feel better. And now that we've been home for a few hours, she seems totally over it. (So if you happen to see her in the next week or two, please tell her how good it looks!) I think it looks super cute and hopefully it will be much easier to take care of. And of course, it will always grow.

Christmas Day

2011-12-28T15:25:00.000-06:00

With the sick kid, we made the decision to not go down to Mankato on Christmas Day for the big family get-together. Grace wouldn't have been up for the trip and we really didn't want to share her germs with her little cousins. Well Grandma and Grandpa K. didn't want to miss out, so they made a quick last minute trip to our place on Christmas Eve to deliver their gifts.

The girls sprinkled the lawn with their magic reindeer food (oats and glitter) and left cookies and milk for Santa before bed. Claire was up bright and early, but we made her wait until Grace was up to open gifts. While we were waiting for Grace, Claire spent 10 minutes sitting in our bed wondering whether Santa came because she didn't hear anything all night. So we told her she could go peek down the stairs to see if he came. A couple minutes later she came running back into our room sooo excited! She told us about how the milk and cookies were gone and the stockings were full and there were presents! She could barely talk and she was bouncing up and down. Such excitement! Unfortunately when Grace woke, she wasn't as excited. She threw the biggest fit ever simply about not wanting to put her pajamas back on after she went potty. We managed to get her dressed through the screaming and kicking. At that moment, she didn't care about Santa or presents. She just wanted to be grumpy. Meanwhile, Claire was ever so patiently waiting on the top step for us. After we finally got downstairs and Grace saw the presents, thankfully her mood changed.

Tearing into Santa gifts.

After Santa gifts, we opened family gifts. Here is the aftermath of all the gift opening.

We were pretty much walking on eggshells all day hoping not to set off either of the girls. (While Claire had no outward symptoms of being sick, you could tell by her emotionally fragile state the previous few days, that she wasn't 100% yet either.) Grace was still feeling miserable and any little thing set her off, screaming or crying. But after her afternoon nap, she woke up giggling. She finally turned the corner on the way to feeling better. The rest of the day she was in a much better mood. The new toys and endless candy might have played a part in it too.

Grace's favorite toy was a racing playset (a very last minute gift idea!)

And Claire's favorite was a set of Bizu beads. She loves these things. Perfect future gifts too. The Doodle Bear that we went all over looking for, hardly even got looked at! Oh well. We did buy one for each of them and at least Grace seems to likes hers.

And here is our annual birthday cake, decorated of course by Claire!

We were supposed to fly out to South Dakota on Monday, but that didn't happen. Even now Grace seems to be doing so much better, I still think it's best for us to stay home. I don't want to wear her out with traveling. And neither of them sleep as well away from home. As much as we all want to go, getting fully recovered is most important. So we'll have another Christmas to look forward to later on.

Christmas Sickness

2011-12-26T11:41:00.000-06:00

It all started a week ago with Claire coming down with a very high temp. This girl never gets sick and I can count on one hand how many times in 5 years that she has had a fever. So it was very unusual. She was fevery and lethargic all day. But by the next day, while she was still running a very low-grade fever, she was back to her normal self. We had 2 days of normal, before it hit Grace. And it hit her hard. Spiking a sky-high fever that wasn't responding to medicine, a horrible cough, and just general miserableness. So I took her in on Thursday and (after more than 2 horrible hours in the clinic) they found pneumonia. Of course, Nate was at work through all of this. Poor little thing has been pretty miserable and of course not sleeping well at night.

On Christmas Eve, we did take her to church. None of us wanted to miss it and we figured it was only an hour. Yeah, we probably should have just stayed home. Grace, who is normally really good in church, did not want to be there. But we made it through the service and I hope we didn't annoy too many people with the crying and whining. Here are the girls all dressed up for Christmas Eve service.

Yaaaaaay!

2011-12-15T20:47:00.001-06:00

The annual Frosty picture at dance class.

The gift exchange.

At the end of their dance Christmas party, their teacher was making some end the the year announcements. She announced, "Class, this will be my last day as your teacher." To which Claire cheered...loudly. And the teacher was clearly a little flustered. And I was mortified.

What I know, but what was obviously not clear to everyone else, was that Claire was excited, not really because this teacher was leaving, but because she knew it meant her old teacher was finally coming back.
The preschool teacher Ms. H, the fabulous one Claire has had for the last 2 years, has been on 3 months of maternity leave (well 1 month of actual maternity leave and 2 months of bedrest prior to that.) While this substitute teacher is experienced, she is used to teaching older competitive dancers, not recreational preschool dancers. Claire is really looking forward to Ms. H coming back in January.

Claire finished up all her classes for the year this week. Hopefully we'll still stay busy enough with holiday things to keep her from getting bored. Otherwise it's going to be a long 2 1/2 weeks.

Santa

2011-12-13T19:39:00.000-06:00

On Sunday we made our annual visit to Santa and Mrs. Claus. We've visited this particular Santa every year since Claire was born. They do it at a house just down the road and they accept donations for the local food shelf. I much prefer supporting this than going to some mall Santa. They do it outside and their entire yard is decorated. When we pulled up, Grace excitedly asked "Is this the North Pole?!"
Claire happily chatted away to Santa, but Grace was a little star struck. I'm pretty sure she wasn't scared, she had been so excited all day about meeting him. But when she sat next to him she was speechless and just stared wide-eyed. Claire asked for a Doodle Bear and an elf toy. We have the Elf on the Shelf, but of course you are not allowed to touch him or he will lose his magic, so she wants an elf she can actually play with. Grace also asked for a Doodle Bear, though she has no idea what it is. Actually Claire has never seen one either, she just got the idea from some friends talking about it at school. After several online searches, and being told by many various stores that they were sold out, Santa finally found that darn Doodle Bear.

The photo quality is less than great. We had a camera malfunction (due to me forgetting to put in the memory card), so we had to resort to using my phone for the pictures.

Nutcracker

2011-12-11T15:12:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Claire and I met up with a bunch of our friends to see the Nutcracker Ballet. While she got a little restless during the second half, she said she really enjoyed it. For sitting through 2 hours of just dancing, all the girls did surprisingly well. After the show, we didn't want the fun to end, so we invited everyone over for an impromptu pizza party and play date (thank goodness I had recently straightened up the house!) It was a fun afternoon!

This morning was Claire's Christmas program at church. (If you remember last year, we missed her program because we were snowed in and she was so upset.) She didn't really sing much, but she did smile and wave at us a lot! It was cute. Here are the girls all dressed up after church today.

O Christmas Tree

2011-12-07T18:52:00.001-06:00

Last Saturday we went Christmas tree hunting. It wasn't snowing when we left town, but by the time we got to the tree farm it was coming down pretty hard. I didn't even bring boots for the girls because there wasn't any snow on the ground when we left. We found our perfect tree and were on our way. Normally this tree farm has horse-drawn wagon rides with Santa, but apparently Santa doesn't like the snow and he left early that day! It was probably for the best though. Claire has been so skeptical and questioning this year about Santa that I wouldn't want to visit him too many times (and last year the tree farm's Santa was a skinny 20-something--not too convincing!) The drive home from the tree farm wasn't fun. Terrible traffic, unplowed roads, cars in the ditch everywhere. A few ambulances and a couple accidents that looked pretty serious. The 40 min drive took 2 hours.

Yesterday was Claire's Christmas party at preschool. At the end they do a little Christmas story re-enactment. Claire had her heart set on being Mary, but she didn't get picked. She volunteered to be a shepherd instead. (Other than wanting to be Mary, her only request was that she didn't want to be an angel like last year and she didn't want to be the bad guy (King Herod.) So she was happy being a shepherd. A few of the preschool kids didn't want to participate, so Grace got to go up and be an angel. She was so cute! She's not as outgoing as Claire, so I'm proud of her for not even hesitating about doing it. A couple of the teachers commented to me today that Grace is really coming into her own and not just Claire's shadow anymore. I didn't bring my camera, I only had my phone so this is the only picture I got. (Claire's the shepherd in the front and Grace is the red angel in the back.)

Big Sister!

2011-12-01T19:23:00.001-06:00

Being the second girl, Grace gets stuck with hand-me-downs. But this is one shirt of Claire's that I was quite happy to dig out to be worn again!

I am 11 weeks pregnant, due in June. I had my second prenatal visit yesterday and everything is going well. I do have low hemoglobin, which only adds weakness, dizziness and fatigue to all the other wonderful pregnancy symptoms I've been experiencing....morning sickness, vomiting, nausea and exhaustion. Yes, it's been a rough few weeks. I'm just hoping I'm over the worst of it all. I'm ready to start feeling better. Of course, I was expecting all this since I was so sick with the first two pregnancies. When I'm throwing up in the morning, I wonder why in the world I thought this would be a good idea to put myself through this a third time! But you get far enough removed from it, you sort of forget how horrible it is. It really is miserable. But I'm putting it in writing this time...I will never go through this again! 3 kids will be the right number for us.

The question everyone asks...are you hoping for a boy? We wanted three kids right from the start, regardless of gender. Of course part of me would love to experience the difference in raising a boy and I think it would be great for Nate to have a son, but truly, honestly, how could I not want another sweet little girl?! It's really a win-win either way!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T10:06:00.000-06:00

Our Family--Thanksgiving 2011

Last Monday we flew out to Rapid City to spend a few days. We always have trouble flying stand-by out there, but this time during the supposedly busiest travel time of the year, the flights there and back were both wide open. Great news for us. Traveling couldn't have gone smoother. We spent a few days relaxing and not doing too much of anything. On Thanksgiving we joined up with my sister-in-laws family for dinner. With her family and ours, I think there were over 40 people. And with everyone contributing, there was an unbelievable amount of fabulous food. 2 card tables full of just desserts! I think we might just invite ourselves again next year.
We came home Friday night and then spent the day on Saturday in Mankato for another great Thanksgiving dinner. We aren't always able to celebrate Thanksgiving with both sides of the family, so we are grateful that it worked out this year.

First Snow

2011-11-20T10:58:00.000-06:00

These girls were sooo excited about the first snow of the season! Yesterday morning I told Claire that it was supposed to snow in the afternoon and she sat and watched out the window all morning. Then at lunchtime, I heard "It's snowing! It's snowing! Hooray, hooray, it's snowing!" coming from her bedroom. The girls ran from window to window checking to make sure it was snowing everywhere. Oh, to be that excited about snow! But then again, I might enjoy it a little more if I didn't have to shovel it or drive in it.

Claire could spend all day playing in the snow. Grace, however is more like me. She was complaining about the cold after only a few minutes. She just kept asking to go inside, have hot chocolate and watch a movie.

Birthday cake

2011-11-06T21:37:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was my best craft show to date! It was a busy and exhausting day. I sold out of a few things and somehow have to get restocked before the next show in a week. Busy times! Since Nate had to go back to work this morning on my birthday, we had cake last night after my show. (Can you tell how exhausted I was?!)

My little trick or treaters

2011-11-01T11:13:00.000-05:00

Ever since we started talking about costumes more than a month ago, Grace was positive she wanted to be a lion. I'd show her pictures of other costumes, but she kept coming back to the lion. So when we came across a lion costume at Target, we thought we better get it. Of course, our Target didn't have her size. So Nate spent some time calling around to other Targets and then driving to the other side of the metro just to get her a lion costume in her size. Can you guess what happened when he brought it home? She wanted nothing to do with it and wouldn't even try it on! It took several days, bribes and peer pressure before she would even put it on. Thankfully once she tried it on, she decided she liked it and we had no more problems getting her to put it on. Claire's costume choice was pretty easy. She had this beautiful witch costume that Grandma K bought her 2 years ago, that finally fit her this year. If she would have had her heart set on something else, I probably would have let her do something else, but she was totally content with the witch costume. And I was happy to not have to make anything this year!

Unfortunately Nate couldn't get out of work on Halloween so I took the girls out trick or treating by myself. The girls had a great time. They both did a great job with saying trick or treat and thank you. Grace even added in a roar almost every time. Apparently little girls can not dress up as lions, as she got called an "adorable little boy" multiple times. Grace did get tired out at one point and just wanted to be done and go home. Thankfully I brought the stroller, so she hung out in the stroller while Claire hit up a few more houses on our way back home. We didn't get as much candy as last year, but still more than we can ever eat. The girls are very good with the rules. They were allowed one piece while we were out trick or treating and one piece after we got home and they were quite happy with that. I put all the candy out of sight this morning and they haven't even asked for it.

Another successful Halloween!

Halloween Parties

2011-11-01T09:28:00.000-05:00

Last week was such a fun and busy week. In addition to her birthday, Claire had Halloween parties at both preschool and dance.

Here is her preschool class. She's the witch in the back row. (5 different Disney princesses in this class!)

On their parade through the school/church.

And here is her dance class.

A Sweet Party!

2011-10-28T14:32:00.000-05:00

Claire had a candy themed party for her 5th birthday. On Sunday she had 8 of her friends over to celebrate. They all had a great time, but wow, 10 little girls have a lot of energy!

Decorations included a candy table. As the girls were leaving they were able to visit the "sweet shop" and fill their favor bags with candy and treats.

We started the party by making fruit loop necklaces. Not many of the girls had any "beads" left on their necklaces by the end of the party!

They played "hot candy" (hot potato) only I was concerned about hurt feelings from getting eliminated, so when the girls got eliminated, they got to pick a prize.

They played "pin the gumball in the gumball machine." This was a fun one.

One last game was a relay race, where they had to walk a certain distance keeping a gumball balanced on a spoon. They had fun, but didn't get the race part of it. Maybe competitiveness is still a few years away.

And per Claire's request, she had to have a pinata. Claire and I tried to make one. We got the shell made, but when it came to decorating it, I failed. So I ended up just buying one at the last minute. Everyone got a few chances to hit it.

And finally cupcakes!

And presents!

Fabulous Five

2011-10-27T16:07:00.000-05:00

I've got a lot of blogging to catch up on. We've been busy. I'll start with Miss Claire's 5th birthday. She had parties on Sunday, but we made sure her actual birthday on Tuesday was fun too. The night before her birthday, she woke up twice just to ask me if she was 5 yet! In the morning we all (my parents were in town for her birthday) headed to IHOP for breakfast complete with a funny face pancake. And they do bring you free ice cream sundaes for your birthday even if it's 10am. Only on your birthday can you have ice cream for breakfast!

Claire had preschool in the afternoon and it was our volunteer day. Since Nate was home, I thought he should go because I never know with his schedule if he'll be able to make any of our other volunteer days. Sounds like they both had a fun day at school celebrating her birthday.

After school there were presents and then we headed to Chuck E Cheese's. (Claire's choice. Well actually she originally picked Red Robin, but was talked into Chuck E Cheese by her dad!) In addition to my parents, we were joined by Grandma K., Great-Aunt Shirley, and Aunt Kallie, Uncle Tyler and cousin Jackson (they weren't able to come to her birthday party on Sunday, so it was nice they were able to join us for dinner.) Pizza, games, cake, and more presents...a perfect evening!

I still can't believe my baby girl is 5!!

The Faces of a Two Year Old

2011-10-16T16:20:00.000-05:00

It's been over two weeks since my last post...oops!

While I thought it would be fun to play in the leaves, someone else was less than impressed. And she surely wasn't about to smile at the camera when I was trying to get pics of the girls together.

33

2011-09-28T17:12:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday (on Monday) to my hubby!!

Fall

2011-09-23T14:51:00.000-05:00

2 weeks into our fall schedule. Everything is going well. Claire loves preschool, of course. Her only complaint is that she wishes it lasted longer or that she could go everyday. She's so ready for kindergarten. Claire might not be learning Spanish (like the preschool I originally wanted, but was way too expensive), but she's learning some sign language. The best way to keep a room full of 4-5 year olds quiet--teach them to talk with their hands and not their mouths. It's brilliant.

Claire had been going to an evening class for dance the past two years because of our friends, but this year I decided to switch to a morning class. It was a good decision. The evening classes are topped out at 20 kids, while her morning class has only 8. She gets more one-on-one time when she needs help, and she is much less distracted. She also seems to have more energy in the mornings. It was a tough choice to leave our tight-knit group of friends, but like Claire says, it's a good opportunity to make new friends. We have an hour between dance and preschool, so it's a little tight to get home, changed and have lunch before preschool, but manageable. All of her other activities are also going well.

Grace's ECFE class is huge. I think it's the biggest group we've ever been in and extremely diverse. I've been a little worried about it since there are so many kids and she could easily get overlooked if she needed something, but she's always smiling when I come back for her. The parent discussions have been pretty interesting due to strong cultural differences/beliefs and a very opinionated group of people. So far conversation has been pretty respectful, but I have a feeling that could change. I'm not sure how much I'll learn this session, but I know I will be entertained.

We are running around everyday, but it's nice to have things to do. I think we're all happier when we're busy. And I've got 4 craft fairs coming up to prepare for, so my evenings are planned for the next 2 months.

Big Girl Bed

2011-09-20T22:40:00.000-05:00

Grace started asking about a big girl bed after sleeping in a twin bed for the week we were at the lake house this summer. I really wasn't sure she was ready. But last week, as I was changing her crib sheet, I just decided to pull down the front rail from the crib. So it's her temporary big girl bed until we get something else. She was sooo excited and very proud of her big girl bed (she doesn't seem to realize it's still her crib!) The first few nights she went to bed without any problem, in fact she even asked to go to bed. She's been in this stage of stalling at bedtime ("I have to go potty. I need a sip of water. I need my blanket. I need my baby. I need another hug and kiss. I want my slippers. Can you sing me a song? Can you read me another book? I need to say goodnight to Claire. I have to go potty.") that drives me crazy. So having her excited about going to bed was awesome for the few nights that it lasted. The novelty has since worn off and she's back to the stalling. Most of the time she's pretty good about staying in bed. There have been occasions where she has gotten up on her own. I decided to start shutting her bedroom door and turning the baby monitor back on at night after I found her crying in the bathroom in the middle of the night. She had to go potty, but once she got there I think she must have gotten scared. With the darkness, her grogginess and the stairs right by the bathroom, I would hate for her to accidentally fall down the stairs. She doesn't do door knobs yet, so she'll be safe for awhile. (After 2 1/2 years in her bed, Claire just recently started getting out of her bed on her own. Before this she would always just call for me when she needed something or when she woke up in the morning.) In addition to her big girl bed, I also took out the glider chair from her room a few weeks ago. Maybe I should start thinking about decorating ideas. Maybe she's ready for a whole new big girl room. Yeah, I'll add that to my mile long To-Do list and maybe I'll get to it sometime in the next year.

Craft Show

2011-09-18T12:16:00.000-05:00

My first ever craft show was yesterday. All things considered, it went well. The craft show was a part of an Autumn festival. The attendance at the show and at the festival in general was much lower than anticipated. Maybe it was the cool, gloomy weather (a lot of the festival activities were outside.) So business certainly wasn't booming, but it was nice knowing that it wasn't just my booth, it was slow for everyone. I was so lucky to have my booth next to two fabulous 8 year craft show veterans and I learned so much from them. They said for a first show that I made a killing. (In fact, I made considerably more than they did.) The numbers they were telling me they usually do at a show made me feel very optimistic for future shows. They gave me so many tips and advice. I made enough to cover the booth fee, my supplies and to pay for a couple more shows. I'm filling out applications today and hope to do several more craft shows this fall. (Those wonderful women also gave me the lowdown on which shows are good and which to avoid.) It was fun and I love being around all those creative, crafty people. My biggest selling item was one that was actually sort of a last minute idea, doll/stuffed animal tutus. At the end I only had one left, guess I'll make a lot more of those next time.

My models

2011-09-16T11:15:00.000-05:00

First Day of second year preschool

2011-09-13T19:31:00.000-05:00

This day couldn't get here fast enough. Claire was (and me too!) so ready to get back to school.

In the spring during sign up, the preschool director strongly encouraged any one who was able, to sign up for the afternoon class. They always get too many who want mornings and they end up having to do a lottery and wait list for the morning class. It didn't make much difference to me, so we went with the afternoon. It's perfect! Grace naps right during school time so I get a couple of hours with a quiet house. Very much needed. Having just a little time to myself during the daylight hours does wonderful things to my sanity, my patience and my spirit. And as another bonus for Claire, the morning class is full with 20 kids, while Claire's class only has 13.

Here's my second year preschooler all set to go to school. She had her first day outfit picked out last week and wouldn't even think of switching to a warmer shirt when we realized how cool it was today. But I did finally talk her into a jacket.

I made her give me a hug before we even entered the building because I knew the second her classroom doors opened, she'd be gone without even a good bye. And I was right. She was the first one in! One of my favorite things about her personality is her total enthusiasm for new experiences. There is never a moments hesitation about going somewhere new. She thankfully did not get the anxiety gene that was passed down to me. She was all smiles and hugs when we picked her up. Of course she had a fabulous first day.

After school, I promised her a special first day of school treat...Dairy Queen! Here she is with her Starkiss. She was impressed that it matched her shirt.

Paper Girl

2011-09-12T10:24:00.000-05:00

I think I have the cutest paper girl ever!

The girls have been fighting over who gets to go get the paper every morning since the spring. We've tried the every other day approach, or having them both go out, but they still scream about it practically every morning. Although I can guarantee that as soon as the snow flies, there will be no volunteers to get the morning paper.

Claire started Sunday School yesterday. Afterwards I asked her if any of her friends from last year were in her new class. She said, "No. I don't know any of the kids." She pauses and then adds, "Don't worry, Mom. It's a good opportunity for me to make new friends." That's my little social butterfly! :)

Today we're going to try and enjoy the last day of summer weather. Preschool starts tomorrow along with the cooler temps.

Busy school year ahead of us!

2011-09-09T14:36:00.001-05:00

While I attempted Marcy's challenge of posting a picture everyday for 2 weeks, I failed miserably. I do have a goal to blog more, even if it's just a picture, because I know my family appreciates it.

I've been busy, busy getting ready for my first craft show next weekend. It involves not only getting my products made, but getting my display put together and organized. I'm thankful for a handy husband. (He's much better at building things than crafting. He attempted and failed at every crafting task I asked him to help with, from cutting fabric to hot gluing. But I appreciate his support!)

This week we had preschool conferences, preschool orientation and preschool back to school family picnic. It's going to be a great year. Claire's teachers seem fabulous. Last year she had an issue with being Claire K. This year we knew going into it that the other Claire was going to be in her class again, so she was prepared. But just because she knew it was going to happen again, doesn't mean she was happy about it. Here's what she did to her name tag.

Starting today, our fall activities are beginning. Today was Grace's first day of our fall session of ECFE. While there were a couple younger siblings, Claire was again the only older sibling (or teacher's helper, as she calls herself!) Grace has absolutely no separation issues anymore and I was lucky to even get a wave from her as I left her classroom. She was excited to play. I tried to take a first day of "school" photo of Grace, but this is what I got. She needed to get going to "Gacie's 2's school." She did not want to stop for a picture!

Next week the rest of our activities start, including Sunday school, music, dance, preschool, swimming, and choir. It's going to be a busy school year!

Gracie

2011-09-04T21:44:00.001-05:00

Today at lunch, Grace told Nate that she was done eating. He said, "But you haven't even touched your sandwich." To which she sticks out her finger and says "Touch, touch!" while touching her sandwich. A smart alec in the making!

Some Grace-isms at 2--

Anytime you call her something, for example silly, she'll say " Nooo. I not silly. I just Gracie." We had this conversation once- "Are you a boy?" "Nooooo." "Are you a girl?" "Nooooo. I just Gracie."

She'll say something funny or something that doesn't make sense, then she smiles and says "Just teasin'!"

Competition is a great way to get the girls to do things, and if Grace wins, she says "I beach you!" Or she'll tell me, "Beach Claire!"

She's at that age where practically everything that comes out of her mouth is funny, so I really should be writing things down!

Neighborhood friends

2011-09-03T19:32:00.000-05:00

Good friends, neighbors and tutu models.

These two met while playing outside in the early spring and became fast friends. They are only a few months apart, but unfortunately just enough to separate them by a year in school. I love that she has a good friend who lives so close. When I was young, all my closest friends lived in the neighborhood.

(there isn't that huge of a height difference, they just happen to be standing sideways on a hill)

Raspberry Pickin' (and eatin')

2011-09-01T21:15:00.000-05:00

Grace ate her weight in raspberries today. Claire was picking raspberries and filling up her container, but the raspberries that Grace picked never made it into her container!

Daddy's Home

2011-08-31T22:35:00.001-05:00

As soon as I tell the girls that daddy is on his way home from work, they start watching the windows. Especially Grace...she wanders back and forth between the door and window looking for him. It's so cute. And when they see his car pull in, they start squealing. And he gets pounced on the second he comes in the door. And he loves it! :)

Studious

2011-08-30T21:06:00.000-05:00

Lake

2011-08-26T19:02:00.000-05:00

Here's a few more of our vacation photos. A trip up north wouldn't be right without some fun in the lake! Depending on what side of Lake Mille Lacs you're on, it's either completely calm or it has large ocean-like waves (we tried two different swimming beaches, on different sides of the lake)

That's Claire!

Paul Bunyan Land

2011-08-24T22:13:00.000-05:00

One day while up north, the 4 of us took a trip to Brainerd to go to Paul Bunyan Land. I was a little skeptical at first, but the girls had a FABULOUS time! There was a farm and a pioneer village, but the biggest attraction for the girls were the amusement park rides. We knew beforehand that Grace would be able to go on the little kid rides, but thankfully she just squeaked by on the height requirement for some of the bigger rides too. (Their favorites- the roller coaster, the ferris wheel and the frog hopper)

Sitting at Paul's feet.

Babe

Enjoying a little sweet treat.

Grace may just be a little braver than Claire. It was always her idea to put her arms up in the air on the rides, even on the roller coaster. Claire hesitantly followed along.

I love these pictures...she wasn't smiling for the camera (I was using my zoom lens), this is just pure joy!

Up North

2011-08-21T09:54:00.000-05:00

The last 4 days we've been on our annual trip up north with Nathan's family. We are at a new place this year, on Lake Mille Lacs. Much roomier place, which is nice since there have been a couple new additions to the family since last summer. Claire is such an outdoorsy tomboy and she's loving it here.
Here's a few things we've been up to...

Claire hasn't had a lot of luck catching fish, but she's caught her share of crayfish!

The girls are trying out their luck fishing off the dock...

Daddy giving Claire a fishing lesson...

And of course any time outside must involve a little bug hunting. Although this year instead of just looking for the creepy crawlies on the ground, she's catching the ones in the air. After one 25 minute session, she managed to catch 7 butterflies (moths?) and 2 dragonflies.

We did a little boating. Unfortunately Lake Mille Lacs is so big and so rough, it's not the smoothest ride. Claire didn't mind the bumps, but Grace and I were ready to get off! The 4 big boys did go fishing on a smaller lake nearby and had some luck.

We'll be here for a few more days...

Twos

2011-08-13T14:41:00.001-05:00

I used to think "terrible two's" was a good excuse that parents used when their child misbehaved, rather than taking the blame themselves for their obvious lack in parenting skills. There was nothing terrible about Claire's twos. She was well-behaved, she listened, and tantrums/meltdowns were few and far between and certainly never in public. I'll admit I felt a little superior when I would encounter one of those kids, you know, the naughty screaming two year olds. My daughter was perfect and of course it was because of my obviously wonderful parenting skills.

Well, I have been put in my place, big time. I will never again pass judgement on any parent or child. I believe that I have raised Grace the same, with the same rules and the same discipline. But two year old Grace is nothing like two year old Claire. I am now that mom with that kid. The one that everyone stares at and whispers about and wonders why I can't control my own child. Let me tell you, this little girl is a feisty one!

Like when we go into a public restroom and she tries to escape the stall while I'm doing my business. Sometimes just unlocking the door or if that is too difficult, then just climbing under the door.

Like when she takes off running the second her feet hit the ground after I unbuckle her from her car seat (through parking lots.)

Like falling to the floor screaming because I gave her the wrong spoon for her breakfast.

Like having to carry her kicking and screaming out of a store because she's not ready to leave yet. (This happens probably 75% of the time we go somewhere. I can only remember this happening once with Claire and I was soooo embarrassed. Now it doesn't even phase me.)

Like when she found a bin of bouncy balls at a store, grabbed one and threw it. I told her no and put it back. To which she gave me "the look" and promptly grabbed a whole handful of balls and threw them even farther.

I could go on. It is ridiculous. She is fiercely independent and strong-willed. And trying to do everything her big sister does, just adds to it. Every.single.thing. becomes a battle. Sometimes she'll get in these screaming/crying fits about something and I can't even figure out what's wrong. She won't calm down long enough to even tell me the problem. And it's impossible to reason with her when she's like that. It's not that she's lacking language skills to tell me what she wants, she has a great vocabulary. She just chooses to scream instead of talk. And she throws herself on the floor. If I try to pick her up to calm her down, she kicks and kicks hard.

We've hit an especially bumpy patch this past week. It hasn't helped that Claire has been grumpy too. I would say it's been one of the most challenging weeks I've ever had as a mom. For real.

Grocery list

2011-08-10T23:27:00.001-05:00

Claire is big into writing and spelling these days. She's forever trying to spell out random words, writing captions for her pictures, making lists, etc. She loves helping me make the grocery list before we head out to the store. I give her an abbreviated list and try to stick to words she already knows how to spell or things that she can sound out. And once we're there, she checks her list to make sure we got everything. She's my little helper!

Rapid

2011-08-01T13:07:00.001-05:00

We headed out to Rapid City last Monday. We normally break up the 10 hour drive into two days, but the girls were so awesome in the car that we decided to go the whole way in one shot. Temps are typically milder here, but we came during a crazy heat wave so outdoor activities have been a little limited. This past week we went to Old MacDonalds's Farm (twice), Storybook Island, Dinosaur Park, the Fish Hatchery, Museum of Geology, and downtown Summer Nights. We've also played with cousins, visited great-grandma's, played in the pool, roasted marshmallows, gone shopping, eaten out, watched TV, and relaxed. We have two more days here before we head home. Nate drove out with us, then flew back to work for 6 days, and he's flying back out here tomorrow to drive with us home on Wednesday.

Some of the things we've been doing...

Cozying up to our favorite characters at Storybook Island.

Going on a train ride.

Being attacked by the animals at Old MacDonalds Farm.

Riding on ponies.

Climbing on the dinosaurs at Dinosaur Park (not sure what the grumpy face is about.)

More pictures to come...

Bible School, Pooh, and Beaches.

2011-07-22T22:35:00.000-05:00

No questioning the seasons this week. Wow. It was a hot one. The humidity made it hard to even breathe outside. One of the meteorologists said the Amazon Jungle was the only place in the western hemisphere as humid as MN. Nice.

Claire had Vacation Bible School every morning this week. She absolutely loved it. She really had a great time and couldn't stop talking about all the things they did. They had to move a few of their outdoor activities indoors because of the weather, but it didn't seem to matter to Claire. And of course, she learned lots of new songs to sing around the house. On their last day, they had a little worship program for the parents to perform some of the songs and prayers they learned this week.

I decided to let Claire skip her afternoon peewee camp Mon, Tues, and Wed because of the heat. They typically spend the entire 2 hours playing outside and while they have a recreation building for inclement weather, I don't think inclement weather includes extreme heat as it is not air conditioned. I'm sure she would of been fine, but probably pretty miserable.

On one hot afternoon, we just had to get out of the house. Taking Claire to the new Winnie the Pooh movie at the theater was on our summer list. We decided to make it a family affair and we all went. While Grace is way too young to truly enjoy the experience, we decided to give it a try anyway since she loves Pooh. She did as well as any 2 year old would. She did make 4 potty trips (she only went once, they other 3 times I think she just getting restless and wanted to explore.) Other than having to walk out of the theater 4 times, she did really well. She sat in my lap and munched on popcorn and guzzled Root Beer. And of course, Claire really enjoyed it.

Another of our summer To-Do's was to check out some beaches. We've been going to the same beach every summer. And while it's a great place, we've never bothered to go anywhere else. I know of 5 other swimming beaches in the area, so I thought we should expand our horizons and check them out. We hit 2 beaches this week. One beach was quite small, but we were the only ones there. There was about 30 ducks hanging out that practically attacked us as we walked up to them. They wanted to be fed! So we gave them some crackers and then Nate went and bought a loaf of bread. They were aggressive little things. We had my nephew Jackson with us that morning and him and I were just sitting in the water playing and the ducks came up and started pecking at our toes. So our Tuesday beach we had fish nibbling at our toes, and our Wednesday beach we had ducks nibbling at our toes!

We will be crossing off another item off our summer list next week, which is our summer South Dakota trip. I think we will have to come up with a to-do list for our trip too!

Life's a Beach

2011-07-19T22:05:00.000-05:00

While Claire was at Vacation Bible School all morning, we snuck out to the beach. With the weather lately, we can't get outside in the afternoon, so the mornings are the only time to enjoy the outdoors. It was wonderful at the lake and the water was so warm. Grace wasn't a big fan of the fish nibbling at her toes (me either!) but we still had fun (just don't tell Claire!)

Sleeping Beauty

2011-07-17T22:40:00.000-05:00

This is what I found when I checked in on her...I don't know how she can sleep with all that stuff! Her crib sits right up against her changing table, which is now just used to house all of her animals and dolls. When I put her to bed, I usually just give her one doll and one stuffed animal, but after I leave she always ends up grabbing as many others as she can reach off her changing table. Tonight she has 6 dolls, 3 blankets, 3 books, 2 dogs, 1 cat, and a pillow pet. Maybe she needs a queen size bed so she can actually have some room for herself too!

When I peeked in on her a second time, she had moved to this position...so cute! Kids look so sweet when they're sleeping!

2 years of growth

2011-07-15T10:58:00.001-05:00

I had pulled out our infant carseat since I was watching my nephew the last few days. And of course, being 2, Grace had to crawl in and try it out. So I dug up an old picture for comparison. I don't know the exact date on this photo, but I'm guessing she's somewhere between 4-6 weeks old. It always amazes me how fast babies grow!

You probably can't tell, but Grace also got her first haircut! Being the neglected second child, I didn't even think to take before and after photos. But I really didn't cut much. I gave her bangs (a little too short..oops), because her hair was always in her eyes and I evened out the mullet in the back (I took off about an inch from the longest part.)

24 months

2011-07-13T21:06:00.002-05:00

Dear Grace,

You are sweet, funny, charming, helpful, and also strong-willed, loud, sassy, demanding, and intense. You're two. It's been a fun year seeing your personality develop. While I hate the term "terrible two's" you are sort of living up to that already. You are a feisty one, little girl. You can throw a tantrum to rival any, complete with ear-piercing screams and wailing. You are ridiculously independent and strong-willed. You have an opinion on everything. No one will tell you what you can and can not do. You have a very strong personality, just like your sister. How I got lucky enough to get two such "spirited and intense" children, I don't know. But I'm proud that you don't just sit back and take whatever comes your way. You stand up for yourself and do what you need to do to get what you want. You don't ever just sit back and watch, you get in there. Power struggles aside, these personality traits will serve you well in the future.

You are going to take after your aunts and be a tall one. At your 2 year well-child, you measured in at the 97th % for height (36.5 in.) That is several inches taller than Claire was at 24 months. And it explains why I already had to switch out your closet into 3T clothes. Your weight is 28 lbs (70th %.) Your doctor said you were developmentally advanced both physically and cognitively and "quite remarkable." That's my girl!

You've been officially potty-trained for over a month now and it's going wonderfully. Determination and consistency on my part was the key. I remember this process being easy with Claire, but honestly I think you were even easier. Accident-free day and night. (Only one real accident in the past month and it was at night.) I rely on you 100% to tell me when you have to go. You tend to use the "I have to go potty" trick a little too often when it comes to bedtime, long car rides, or when you're bored in a public place. But I'm getting better at judging whether you really have to go or are just faking it. And you're also getting much better at going longer between bathroom visits.

It amazes me how quickly you absorb the world around you. The phrases you say and the things you do. You are constantly learning. You can count to 12 perfectly and then a little jumbled up to 20. You recognize quite a few letters of the alphabet, and you know your shapes. You love to sing and know countless songs. You're always surprising me with a new song that you know. You love to color and draw pictures of people (or at least that's what you tell me they are!) I love witnessing your ever-developing imagination. The things you come up with are amazing.

You are still Claire's little shadow. Most of the time she tolerates this, other times you really get on her nerves. I think Claire's personality really affects your personality. When she's around you are very outgoing and confident. Without her influence, you tend to be a little bit quieter and a little more hesitant. I just hope she continues to be a good influence on you, because she is your idol and you would follow her anywhere and do anything she does.

You are very empathetic and so concerned when others are upset. You can be all out fighting with Claire, but if she starts crying, then all of a sudden you turn into such a sweet, concerned little girl. You always assume babies are crying because they want their mommies. "Baby crying. Wants her mommy!" You still love your baby dolls, but you've also taken an interest in Claire's barbies and princesses too. You take such good care of your babies.

You speak very well. I can understand everything you say, although I still occasionally have to translate to others not used to toddler speak. You speak in sentences. Your most used phrases are "What that noise?" "What you talkin' about?" and "Not now, I'm too busy." I love hearing you talk.

My darling, the world is a brighter place with you in it. Your smile is heart-melting and your giggles are contagious.You are a very special and remarkable little girl. I'm so proud that you're mine. And I consider myself amazingly lucky to be able to spend everyday with you. I love you!!

Love, Mom

Spur of the Moment...Lake Superior

2011-07-12T17:11:00.000-05:00

On Sunday morning during breakfast, we were discussing what we should do the rest of the day. We started talking about going to the beach and somehow ended up talking about Duluth. My sometimes way too spontaneous husband suggested we head up there for the day. After he talked me into it, we showered, packed and were out the door in a little over an hour. And yes, a trip to Duluth was on our summer list!

It was very warm up there, but lacking the horrible humidity that was here when we left town. While Lake Superior is generally quite cold, there is a sandy beach on the Wisconsin side that is shallow and warm enough to swim. So we spent the afternoon playing on the beach. The girls had a fun time. Claire spent most of the time in the water, while Grace played mostly in the sand searching for treasures. After the afternoon at the beach we headed over to Duluth for dinner and Canal Park (Claire really got a kick out of the fact that we were going back and forth between states! We actually got a hotel in Superior for the first time, so we were back and forth a lot. She seemed to think once you're in another state it's like a whole new world. She was asking about Wisconsin food, Wisconsin people, Wisconsin weather etc. She'll tell you that I don't like Wisconsin food because I wanted to go to Minnesota for dinner.)

(The lighthouse lover in me, loves this picture! I didn't even notice the

background until I was looking through the photos!)

And of course no trip to Lake Superior is complete without throwing rocks into the lake....for like forever. I think if we would let them, they probably could spend an entire day just throwing rocks. It was a great Sunday!

We did not sleep well Sunday night. Or I should say, Grace had trouble sleeping, therefore the rest of us did not sleep well either. Lack of sleep meant seriously crabby girls on Monday, me included. But we still tried to have fun. We went to Leif Erickson Park for a stroll and more rock throwing. After lunch we headed up to Two Harbors for more rock throwing and ice cream.

This is what happens to whiny little girls...the threat of being dropped into the very cold lake.

While we did have fun on Monday, there was also a lot of screaming, crying, whining, and countless potty breaks. After a little fiasco of following the wrong directions to the mall to replace a DVD cord that got severed in the car door, we headed back home. It was a quick little trip, but I'm glad we did it. We have such a busy summer, we may not have made it up there if not for this spur of the moment trip.

Summer List

2011-07-11T22:48:00.000-05:00

If you follow you Mindy's blog, you've heard about her "summer bucket list." Well, we started the exact same idea at the beginning of the summer. Having an actual list posted of all the things we want to do, big and small, reminds us to get out and make the most of the summer. Everyone contributed a few ideas to our list. So far from our list we have gone to the MN Zoo (2 times), Nicollet Commons Park-water play park (4 times), Rockin' Lunch Hour-kids concert in the park (2 times), picnic (a couple times), carnival, Farmer's Market, Puppet Wagon, and the Apple Valley Splash Pad.

One item on our list that I added was to visit a specific ice cream place. The best ice cream place ever (Zesto) is in my hometown and I have yet to find a place around here that compares. Grace's ECFE teacher is a former South Dakotan and of course Zesto came up in conversation one day and she suggested we try this place in Lakeville. So it's been on the list and we finally decided to drive down to check it out. As we were following our GPS directions we came to a blocked road, and then another. And all of a sudden tons of people and cars everywhere. We didn't know what was going on, so we parked as close as we could and figured we'd walk the extra few blocks. As we were walking we ran right into a parade! We had no idea it was going on. So we stayed and watched it. The girls really enjoyed it (although there were some overly aggressive teens and pre-teens and the girls weren't able to get any candy. Seriously, someone had thrown a handful of candy and a piece landed right in Grace's lap and this one girl, probably 12 or 13 grabbed it right out of Grace's lap!) This was our first parade of the summer and wouldn't you know, also an item on our summer list. So we knocked off two items that night without even planning it.

Here's Grace waving at the firetruck!

Finally enjoying our ice cream!

We had a fun evening and I'm glad we did run into the parade, otherwise I would have been disappointed. It was a little bit of a drive to get there and the ice cream, while good, was nothing like Zesto. I guess I will keep looking and taste testing! :)

The Big Game. Go Tigers!

2011-07-08T18:46:00.003-05:00

The last 5 weeks of soccer practice have been in preparation for this day. The last day of soccer, the big game. After dividing into two teams, warming up, making sure everyone knew which goal was theirs and reminding them of the rules, they were ready to start.

Here's the team in action...Look close, can you find Claire?

What? You don't see her??

Oh, that's because she's on the other side of the field. Here she is...trying to catch a dragonfly!

(In her defense, they were the biggest dragonflies I have ever seen, like the size of a small bird.)

So my soccer star spent the first 20 minutes chasing dragonflies on the far side of the field. After a water break and some scolding from me, she got back out there. The ball did happen to come close to her at one point...however she sort of cringed and moved out of the way.

And after the next water break, she walked out into the middle of the field with her teammates....and then sat down. She was done.
When I got her off the field, I tried to give her a little pep talk. And she burst into tears. She did not want to play.
Last summer, she definitely lacked enthusiasm for soccer. But you never know what can happen in a year, so we tried again this year. Again, you never know what can happen in a year, but I have a strong feeling this is the end of her short soccer career. Oh well. It just gives us more time to try another activity.

Birthday Playdate

2011-07-07T14:45:00.000-05:00

We just did a family party for Grace this year, but I thought it would be fun to have a playdate with kids to celebrate her birthday also. I invited a couple of Grace's friends, a couple of Claire's friends and a couple of our friends' kids. We originally got 15 positive RSVP's but as the day got closer, things came up and we ended up with a smaller group of 7 kids. But it was still lots of fun. While she's still a little young to truly interact, she did know that all these kids were there for her birthday and she was excited about that. One of her friends even brought a gift (though I had requested none) and Grace kept saying, "So nice of her. So nice of her." It was cute. It was great to have a couple younger kids there, as Grace is usually just around Claire's friends. We ended up being at the park for almost 3 hours. It was great weather and my girls were having a blast!

This is the closest to a group shot as I could get, though I'm missing a couple kids.

This was not even posed, they were both sitting this way when I walked by with my camera!

Taking a break from the water to enjoy a birthday cupcake!

4th of July

2011-07-05T20:34:00.000-05:00

Our 4th of July was a fun one. In the morning, Nate took the girls to my parent's hotel room to play in the pool. (I got to stay home and sleep in!) After swimming and lunch out, my parents headed back home (they had been in town since Thursday.) After Grace's nap, we went to a carnival. I was really hoping there would be at least one ride that Grace would be tall enough for, because she so hates being left behind. Actually there ended up being quite a few rides that she was able to go on. She is such a thrill-seeker that she loved them all! In fact, she started screaming after every ride was over. We literally had to drag her kicking and screaming off every ride! She had a blast. Of course, Claire had fun too. After some cotton candy and supper (yes, in that order) the girls did snaps and sparklers outside. Nate had wanted us all to go out to see the big fireworks display, but I really didn't want to keep the girls out that late. He finally convinced me to let just Claire go with him. They didn't get home until 10:45. She was a tired little girl, but it sounded like she had a good time.

My little firecracker turns 2!!

2011-07-04T14:49:00.001-05:00

We celebrated Grace's birthday with a red, white, and blue theme. She felt the need to remind us that she was two with a major temper tantrum minutes before her party started and another monster meltdown at bedtime. But she was happy and well-behaved for her party guests (except maybe for yelling at cousin Jackson for getting too close to her presents as she was opening them!) I made her party dress, her cake, and the decorations. Time-consuming maybe, but I like doing that kind of stuff. It was a fun little party for my little girl!

Her cake, complete with two sparklers!

One of her favorite gifts...a doll crib and doll. This is an heirloom gift, as it was Grace's grandma's (my mom's) doll crib when she was a kid (1959.) Her great-great grandmother made the mattress, pillow and pillowcase, and her great-grandma made the sheet. Grandma painted the crib and added Grace's name to it. And it came with one my my first and favorite dolls, a cabbage patch doll from 1983. It was a cool and thoughtful gift and I'm so glad Grace loves it!

Tuesday

2011-06-22T15:11:00.001-05:00

Today it was soccer, camp, and play date (for 2.)

This morning Claire had soccer practice despite the sprinkles. It's fun(ny) to watch her. Let's just say, she is not going to be a soccer star. This poor child has very little athletic ability. And don't say, "Oh, she's only 4." It's not like I'm comparing her abilities to professional soccer players. I'm only comparing her to the other 4 year olds. But it's ok Claire, I have no athletic ability either. We'll shoot for the academic scholarships instead. She does have a lot of fun and that's all that matters.

After soccer it was lunch and off to summer camp for Claire.

After camp, we stopped by the water park for a play date. I had set up a play date with some of Grace's friends, but unfortunately the rainy, gloomy weather kept everyone away. Grace kept saying, "My friends lost!" She was disappointed, but the girls had fun with each other anyway. It wasn't raining when we got there and there were only a two other kids, so they basically had the place to themselves. It was a fun afternoon even without friends.

Monday

2011-06-20T21:35:00.001-05:00

I don't know about the "lazy days of summer," we certainly don't have those days around here. Today it was the zoo, summer camp, and a birthday party.

This morning Claire had a play date at the zoo and Grace tagged along. Grace sure does her best to keep up with the big girls. And she has the scrapes to prove it! She fell down so many times attempting to run as fast as them or climb as high. The animal that Claire enjoyed the most was not in a cage. She found a snake, a rather large snake slithering through the grass next to the path. (At least it was just a snake and not a wolf out roaming around!) Had I not warned her immediately not to touch it, she probably would have grabbed it. All the girls had a good time running around together for a few hours. Claire was already worn out before lunch!

After the zoo, we came home for a quick lunch and it was off to summer camp. Claire was whiny and said she was too tired to go to camp. I gave her the option of going to camp or staying home and napping. Given that choice, she opted for camp. Claire has day camp 4 days a week, all summer. While she's at camp Grace naps, so it works out nicely for me. Except that I often have to wake Grace up from her nap to go pick up Claire. I hate waking up sleeping kids at any time. Claire seems to enjoy camp, though it sounds like she spends a lot of time hanging out with the teachers. "They're more interesting" she tells me. Though she tends to prefer the company of adults (or teenagers in this case), she makes friends easily.

After camp, we quickly hit up Target to buy a gift and then went home to get ready for a birthday party for one of Claire's friends. Another one turning 5. The girls spent a few hours eating pizza and cupcakes, and playing. We got home at 8:00. Just in time for bed. Whew. I'm ready for bed too.

Making silly faces!

Tutu Cute Model

2011-06-16T14:38:00.000-05:00

Beautiful Ballerina

2011-06-14T21:06:00.000-05:00

While she makes a darn pretty ballerina, you can't take the tomboy out of her. Here she is checking out a bug, while I'm trying to get her to pose for pictures!

MOA

2011-06-13T22:35:00.001-05:00

Claire had 2 performances at the Mall of America yesterday. It was the last dance event the the year and probably the last time she'll dance with a lot of her friends that she's been with for the last 2 years, as everyone is going into different classes next year (preschool rec., kindergarten rec., or competition line.)

Claire and her fabulous dance teacher, Miss Heather. This woman is truly amazing to be able to get that many little girls to listen, pay attention, and learn.

And did Grace enjoy the dance performance? What do you think....?

You know how tired this child must have been to fall asleep with the loud music, dancing and all the people. Especially since she is not one who falls asleep outside of her bed very often. She was out cold. This is a very rare sight.

Busy, Busy

2011-06-12T21:20:00.001-05:00

It was another busy weekend (a 109 new pictures on my photo card kind of busy!) On Saturday Claire and I went to a 5th birthday party for one of her good friends. The girls had a blast! I'm having a hard time believing that Claire has friends that are 5. Because Claire's still my little baby, right?! I'm in complete denial that she will be turning 5 in the fall. Anyway, the girls had a blast as they always do when they get together. This is such a great group of friends.

Right after the birthday party, we all headed down to Mankato for the baptism of nephew/cousin Benjamin. After the evening service and dinner afterwards, it got to be a late night for the girls.

Nate, his two sisters, and their kids.

And today was Claire's dance performance at the Mall of America. She was so tired, but she did well. I'll sort through all the dance photos tomorrow.

And just because the weekend is over doesn't mean we are any less busy. Tomorrow Claire starts summer camp and Tuesday she starts soccer.

(And just a side note, even though we've been so busy the last 2 weekends and have hardly spent any time at home, Grace is still rockin' her big girl panties with no accidents! At home is one thing, but remembering to tell someone she has to go when we're out and about amidst chaos and not having any issues with public restrooms is awesome! She's going on more than 2 weeks with no accidents and dry at night! Woo hoo!!)

Summer Fun

2011-06-08T21:56:00.000-05:00

Dance Recital

2011-06-07T15:22:00.000-05:00

Claire's recital was on Saturday night. She did wonderfully, although not quite as well as she did at the dress rehearsal. At the last minute, they decided to split the preschool class into two groups, different from how they practiced at the rehearsal. So I think that might have confused her a little as she was standing in a different spot. But she did well and it was fun to watch her. I'm so proud of my little ballerina. This coming Sunday is her last big dance event of the year at the Mall of America.

My Shining Star

2011-06-06T16:42:00.001-05:00

Claire had her big recital on Saturday. They don't allow photos during the recital, but I got a few during their dress rehearsal.

Potty Talk

2011-05-31T20:48:00.003-05:00

Since Claire potty-trained at 20 months, I was starting to feel the pressure to get Grace trained early too. I knew she was ready, it was more a matter of if I was ready. Realistically diapers are easier, at least compared to the very early days of potty-training. Not to have to worry about accidents or having to find the nearest bathroom at the least convenient time. But all those things do get easier and to be a diaper-free house would be awesome. So we went for it.

Well, Grace has been diaper free for 8 days. And she's doing amazing!! The first couple days were rough, but then it just clicked. She's been completely accident free for the last two days (even dry at night) and only one accident each the previous two days. I just used the same method that worked so well with Claire. There's not much to it...basically just get rid of diapers and never look back! She wears regular underwear during the day and pull-ups at night. When we go out, like somewhere when I'm not with her (at her toddler class or at the Y) then I put her in pull-ups, because I'm not sure she would feel brave enough to ask someone else to take her to the potty (but she's stayed dry!) But if she continues to do as well as she has been, then we'll stop the pull-ups completely. We're actually using leftover pull-ups from the one and only package we bought when Claire potty-trained. To have 2 kids potty-trained with only one package of pull-ups used, is pretty good.

Maybe having girls makes it easier. But I've heard just as many stories about boys who trained early and easily as I have about girls who were difficult to train. Regardless, I'm so proud of her! And I love hearing her say "I did it! I big girl, proud of me!" every time she uses the potty.

(Picture from Mother's Day)

Yogurt pants and swim soups

2011-05-30T18:38:00.000-05:00

My little Gracie is still quite particular about her clothes. And most of the time she gets her way because it's not worth the fight. She went through a stripe phase, then a polka dot phase, then specific colors...I really never know what she'll insist to wear every morning. A couple days ago it was "Yogurt pants." She kept insisting over and over for yogurt pants. I pulled out every single pair of pants, but could not find these yogurt pants she wanted. She was getting more and more upset with me and I finally gave up and told her she was going to have to go without pants. Then she ran into Claire's room and pulled out a pair of Claire's pants. What were they? Yoga pants! Claire got new stretch pants a few weeks ago and I remember having a conversation with Claire that she now had yoga pants that looked just like my yoga pants. Apparently, Grace overheard this and wanted her own "yogurt pants."

Today was a hot and humid one. After Grace's nap, I told the girls they could go out and play with their new water table. Grace wanted to wear her "swim soup." So I let the girls put on their "swim soups" to play in the water!

Rain Day

2011-05-21T19:15:00.001-05:00

The girls were getting very restless this morning (in other words-crabby, whiny, and getting on my nerves) so we had to get outside. They are getting used to spending so much time outside everyday, rain wasn't going to stop them today. And they had an absolute blast! And I got to sit in the dry entryway and relax, while they played and splashed. Despite the umbrella, raincoat and rain boots, they both were drenched. Good thing it was so warm out.
And when Grace woke up from her nap, she seemed disappointed to see the sunshine. She kept asking for "More rain, please!" But she managed to find a couple small puddles left to splash in.

Dance Pictures

2011-05-20T20:35:00.002-05:00

Claire had her dance pictures today. Unfortunately because of the rain and humidity, her tight curls (that I spent forever curling) fell almost immediately when we left the house. Oh well, she's still beautiful!

Look at this pretty girl doing her runway model walk...too bad she couldn't smile like this for the photographer!

Unfortunately, this is the look or some variation of it, that she had for all of her individual pictures (they even took 4 shots!) I think I'll just be ordering the group picture! Goofy girl.

4 1/2

2011-05-18T14:01:00.001-05:00

Dear Claire,

My darling girl, you are growing up so fast! At 4 1/2 you are charming and outgoing. You are deep and insightful. You are empathetic and sensitive. You are intelligent and unique. You are still my baby girl and you always will be.

Claire, you are our social butterfly, our Miss Popularity. You are the kid that all the other kids want to be friends with. I've had countless parents in your various activities come up to me and mention how much their child likes you and talks about you. And it's not just kids, it's adults too. It's sort of become a joke around here, because you know more people than we do. All of our neighbors know you by name and they just know us as "Claire's parents." We can walk through the halls at church on our way to Sunday School and practically every other person we pass says, "Hi, Claire!" Your dad and I don't know half of those people. You're the one who begged me to go over and meet the new neighbors as soon as they moved in. You'll approach anyone and introduce yourself and strike up a conversation. And you have such a knack for remembering names too. You are so incredibly friendly and outgoing. It's wonderful.

In addition to being so friendly, another trait that makes you very likable to others is your empathy. I don't know if it's normal for a 4 yr old to be so in tune with other people's emotions, but you sure are. You are just a highly sensitive child. So sensitive in fact, that we really have to watch what we say and what you see. Ever since you were a toddler, we really had to be careful what TV shows and movies we showed you as so many of them were too scary for you. And it's still an issue. You'll have nightmares about the mildest shows. You were shown a kids version of the Easter story in Sunday School and you were hysterically sobbing almost all day because it was such a scary and sad story. You are also such a deep thinker that things affect you much more than they would a typical child. And it's not just scary things, it's emotional things. You'll tear up during all the sad and happy parts of movies. Does every 4 yr old cry at the end of 'Homeward Bound' when the animals make it back home?! You teared up on the last day of preschool and almost started crying when we visited Aunt Kristin and baby Ben in the hospital. I love that you feel things so deeply. You are a special child.

You've turned into quite the artist. Just a year ago, you had very little interest in anything artsy or crafty. Now that's all you want to do. And your drawings are getting really good. In a book of art work that you made in preschool there was a drawing you made of yourself in Sept. and one you made in April. The improvement was astonishing.

You love going to new places and trying new things. And you are always the first to volunteer for anything. Never a moments hesitation about anything new (except maybe food!) Another wonderful trait. I know you will live your life to the fullest.

While you still have a love of bugs, our time outside is now mostly spent going on "nature walks." Our nature walks often involve looking for bugs, but it's not exclusively bugs anymore. You like riding your bike, running, and climbing trees (ok, so it's just the small tree in our front yard, but still!) You introduced yourself to some neighbor kids, so I have a feeling you'll be spending a lot of time playing outside with them this summer. I've eased up a little and can trust you to go outside by yourself, with some rules of course. The hard part is the little sister who wants to follow you everywhere.

You have such a wild imagination. You love telling stories and you spend a lot of time in your room "doing stories." The things you come up with are amazing. And I just love talking to you. We have some deep conversations and I just love listening to you and trying to figure out how your brain works. You will always be one of the most interesting people in the world to me.

You are so grown up. You are a good helper (when you want to be.) We're giving you a few more responsibilities around the house and you seem to enjoy that. Since you're the only older child in Grace's toddler class, you call yourself the teacher's helper. It's cute seeing you mothering the little kids and trying to help out the teachers. You are a genuinely good kid.

You are affectionate and sweet. You are full of hugs, kisses, and cuddles. And I love the random "I love you, mom" 's that I get during the day. You always know when I need it most. That being said, there is also a bossy, whiny, over-reacting little monster hidden in you too. She seems to show up when you're tired or upset with your sister. Wow, you and your sister like to fight! You both have big personalities and you both like to be bossy and get your own way. As much as I like to see you two playing together, life is calmer and quieter if you are both engaged in your own separate things.

You've made it through another winter season without getting sick. I was sure that your unbelievable immune system would falter this year with all your activities and exposure to so many other kids. But nope, nothing. I don't think I could even say you ever had a real cold. There would be a day of a slightly runny nose or you would be feeling a little run-down and I would think, this is it, she'll be sick tomorrow. But by the next day you'd be fine. So at 4 1/2 years old, the only real sickness you've had was a virus when you were 11 months old. I can handle that! Keep it up! I would be perfectly happy to continue going through your whole childhood without having to take you to the doctor or without ever having to clean up puke.

I can't put into words all the wonderful, kooky things that make you you. Just know that you are an amazing child and I am so blessed to have you in my life. 4 1/2 years into this gig, and I'm still grateful everyday that I get to be home with you. You're growing up in a flash and I'm so glad I'm not missing any of it. I can't wait for an excellent summer!

Love, Mom

Benjamin

2011-05-16T21:56:00.000-05:00

We got to meet the newest member of our family this morning, Benjamin (We love the name...in fact, it was our boy name!) He belongs to Nate's sister Kristin. One more cousin for the girls. So on Nate's side of the family there are now 2 girls and 2 boys!

End of Year Picnic

2011-05-13T13:04:00.001-05:00

Because of the rain, the end of the year picnic for preschool was moved indoors. The kids got to play in the large muscle room, we had a little picnic and also a sort of "graduation" ceremony. The teachers were getting teary-eyed when they were talking about the great school year and the wonderful kids. One of the teachers is leaving teaching, so she was especially emotional. When I looked over at Claire she had tears running down her cheeks! When I hugged her and asked her what was wrong, she said she was going to miss her teachers so much. Awww...my sweet sensitive girl! When I was talking with the teachers later, they also mentioned how sensitive and affectionate Claire is. They said they would get more hugs from her in one day than they got from some kids all year!

This picture makes me giggle. You'd never guess from how stiff they look, that they actually like each other!

When they called her up front, they laughed and said they remembered how at the beginning of the year Claire did not want to be called Claire K. and would argue every day that her name is just Claire, not Claire K. They said after 9 months, she's finally ok with it! Good thing, since the other Claire is going to be in her class next year too.

Last Day of Preschool

2011-05-11T18:25:00.002-05:00

I think I'm more sad about the last day of preschool than I was the first day. Now it's not just, "My baby is growing up so fast, she's already starting preschool," it's "My baby is growing up so fast, she's already finished her first year of school!" Claire knew it was her last day, but I don't think she completely grasped the finality of it. It's been a great year and she's loved every minute of it! She made a few close friends (as did I!) that we hope to continue to keep in touch with. She misses the birthday cut-off for kindergarten next year, so she'll be back at preschool next year, different classroom and different teachers though.

Tomorrow is the end of the year picnic for her preschool. Unfortunately it's been moved inside because of the rain predictions, but it should still be fun.

Last day of school front door picture.

Claire and her fabulous teachers.

Claire and her best friend sitting in the cubbies. These two hit it off right at the beginning of the school year and by the end of the year, they seemed almost inseparable. They hug when they get to school and often hold hands as we're leaving school. It's so fun to see her making real friends. (I'll try to get a picture of Claire and her "boyfriend" tomorrow at the picnic.)

Dress Rehearsal Rehearsal

2011-05-07T21:03:00.000-05:00

Claire and a few of her dance friends had a dress rehearsal rehearsal today. They spent some time practicing their songs. The recital is still a few weeks away, but everyone is already excited for it!

And not one to be left out, Grace had to have a tutu too!

22 months

2011-05-03T15:51:00.002-05:00

Dear Grace,

22 months old. 2 more months until the big 2! I can hardly believe it. I better start thinking about your birthday party soon!

This has been a fun month. It seems like your temper has evened out some and the tantrums are less frequent and easier to deal with. Hopefully this will continue to get better or maybe you're just giving me a little reprieve until the real terrible two's hit. We shall see.

The biggest change this month is that the severe separation anxiety seems to be a thing of the past. I'm so grateful! It was a tough few months. You have no problems with the YMCA daycare anymore and you even get really excited to go there! You've had no problems in our ECFE separation class. I even left you with a new babysitter when I went with Claire on a preschool field trip. With a stranger, in a strange place, by yourself, without Claire, and you had a great time! There's been other new situations this month, including a new gym daycare and separating at Sunday school that you've just taken in stride. This is definitely a phase I'm happy to see go. I love seeing this new found confidence about new places and new situations. I think you're finally figuring out that no matter where we go, Mommy will always come back for you.

Gracie, you are still our little jokester. You now specialize in one word jokes. Like "Dog joke!" Then you laugh a great big over-exaggerated laugh. Sometimes you'll shorten it even more and just say "Joke" and then laugh and laugh at yourself. It's impossible to not laugh right along with you. You think you're so funny. You crack us up!

Your sister is your best friend and also your worst enemy. Depends on the day. I feel like most of time you pester Claire with the sole purpose of aggravating her. Yes, you're becoming that sibling. And Claire's such a drama queen that one little thing always turns into a big scream fest. I'm sure our new neighbors love us already. But on the other hand, while you pick on her a lot, you also care about her a great deal too. Whenever she's upset (if it's not caused by you) you always try to calm her and comfort her. You will try to give her a hug or pat her back. You "shhhh" her and get her her cat. You'll ask "Happened, Claire?" If you're fighting over a toy and I determine that it's your turn to have it and Claire gets upset, you almost always give it back to her. (With a few reminders) you're very good about sharing and taking turns.

Wow, where did these bedtime struggles come from? You've always been the kid who went to bed easily, but not lately. You talk and sing and then yell and scream. I have to be in the doorway until you fall asleep or else you cry. This ends up being a 45 min. to an hour process. Actually the other night it ended up taking 2 hours. You're seriously cutting into my only downtime of the day. Something has got to give. This can't continue. Struggling with me in the evening when I'm exhausted and my patience is depleted causes me serious frustration, which I'm sure doesn't help the situation any. As with everything else, I know this is a phase, but just work with me, please.

You've developed this weird, slightly OCD thing about being clean. Your hands have to be clean, your face, your clothes, etc. You have no problems getting dirty, but once you notice it, you have to clean up right away. Like you'll dig right into your dinner with your fingers, but once you notice what a big mess you're making, you have to wash your hands right away. "Wash my hands!" is a phrase I hear all. day. long. And "Need clean pants!" Your clothes often get changed multiple times a day, per your request (or demand.) You're also the first to point out when someone else is dirty. You love helping me clean, especially wiping things--the counters, tables, windows. I should just get you a little fanny pack to wear full of wet wipes and you'd be a happy kid.

You're still very opinionated on your clothes (shoes, coats, accessories.) Yesterday you were coloring at the table while wearing a back pack, rain boots, a ladybug stocking cap and several dress-up necklaces. I just have to laugh.

I'm so excited about the upcoming summer and all the fun things in store for us in the next several months. Special activities, classes, trips, swimming lessons, birthday party, (potty-training,) parks, waterparks, picnics, and more! It's going to be a great summer!

Love,
Mom

Easter Day

2011-04-26T14:35:00.000-05:00

Nate plays trombone in the brass group at church and they played at all 4 services Easter morning. Since he would already be gone when the girls woke up, we thought about having the Easter bunny come after he came home, so he could be here. But I was prepared just in case, and a good thing, because Claire snuck downstairs bright and early without even letting me know she was up! Grace's favorite gift was new rain boots. This girl has such an obsession with shoes, especially boots. It was hard getting her back into sandals for church! After Easter baskets, breakfast, and church, we all headed down to Mankato for the afternoon. There the girls got more Easter gifts and had another Easter egg hunt. It was such a beautiful day to be outside.

Rapid City

2011-04-23T16:35:00.002-05:00

We got home last night from our trip to Rapid. The girls got to visit great-grandma's, play with cousins, dye Easter eggs, have an Easter egg hunt, eat lots of junk food, watch too much TV, stay up late and wake up at the crack of dawn. I woke this morning and looked over at the clock...I couldn't believe it was 8:58 and the house was still quiet. I think everyone was happy to be back in their own beds last night. The girls have a lot of sleep to catch up on. It's nice to get away, but so nice to be home. Here are a few pictures from our visit.

Vacation Part 2: South Dakota

2011-04-21T12:50:00.000-05:00

From Arkansas, we flew to Rapid City via Denver.

When we were here at Christmas time, there was no snow. But now 4 months later, this is what we woke up to one morning. My parent's backyard really is pretty, even if it is April.

Vacation Part 1: Arkansas

2011-04-17T14:13:00.000-05:00

Nate is on vacation and while we didn't plan any real big get-aways this year, we did manage to get away from home.

Last Thursday we flew down to Arkansas to visit Nate's grandfather Fred and his wife Elaine. This was my and the girls' first time visiting Arkansas. In fact, this was the first time the girls had ever met this set of great-grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa K. also flew down with us. It was a nice visit. We stayed in Eureka Springs, which is in the Ozark Mountains. Very beautiful area. Not a place I would ever like to live, but a very unique town and interesting place to visit.

The first day we arrived the weather was gorgeous. It was probably in the upper 70's or low 80's and sunny. Fred and Elaine live on a lake, so the girls had a good time playing in the water and collecting shells and rocks.

Unfortunately the next 2 days were overcast and cold. (but no snow like back home, so I guess that's a bonus!) On Friday Elaine gave us a tour of the city and Nate and I also did a little exploring of the town on our own.

Claire had a wonderful time with her Great-Grandma Elaine. Claire fell in love with her right off the bat and they spent quite a bit of time together. It was very sweet. I'm not sure when we will see them again, so I'm glad it was a nice visit and that the girls had this opportunity to meet them.

Four Generations

Fresh Air

2011-04-12T21:47:00.000-05:00

We have been totally enjoying the wonderful weather lately. The last of the snow on our patio finally disappeared last Tuesday. It's so nice to not see that stuff anymore!

Here's a few things Claire's been up to...

Riding her bike. She wasn't too into bike riding last year, so it's nice to see her enjoying in it now.

And stopping occasionally for a little bug hunting. She's still into bugs, however she's much better about just looking and not capturing. Even if she picks them up, she puts them back. She understands that they will live better in their "homes" rather than in a jar. So hopefully we won't have dozens of jars of decomposing bugs all over the place this summer.

And here's Grace...

Doing a little chalk drawing.

But mostly, she spend her days following behind Claire like her little shadow. Claire does her own thing, and Grace follows her every move. She's already had quite a few bumps, bruises and cuts trying to keep up with Claire at the park.

Spring Preview

2011-04-10T10:53:00.000-05:00

On Thursday evening Claire's dance studio performed for the residents at a senior living home. (It brought back memories of many years of dancing at a nursing home in Pierre when I was little!) It was a fun night. We met a couple friends for dinner before the performance. And hit up an ice cream shop with all her little friends after the show.

I didn't get much video as I wasn't in a good spot, but here is a little 20 second clip of their tap number. (When you're watching please ignore the little superstar dancer in front of Claire!) As long as you're not comparing her to that girl, she actually did really well. I'm excited for the recital, I think she'll do great this year!

Here are some of the dancers (and a couple of future dancers!) I only wish I would have brought my camera into the ice cream shop...now there were some camera worthy moments there. Like a table full of sweet little ballerinas with their faces covered in ice cream!

Rise and Shine

2011-04-07T11:54:00.001-05:00

This video is from February. I forgot that I was supposed to upload it for the grandparents. Anyway, this is Claire's choir singing in church. There are only 10 kids so it's easy to hear Claire. One thing we've noticed everytime she sings in church is she is always moving, swaying back and forth. She can't stand still. It's funny when she's the only one moving. Praise choir has been one of her favorite activities this year. They have one more performance in church coming up in May before they're done for the year.

21 months

2011-04-05T16:02:00.000-05:00

Dear Grace,
21 months. I'm trying not to think about how quickly 2 is approaching. What happened to my baby?! At 21 months you are happy, opinionated, silly, headstrong, independent, and oh so charming. You are one of a kind. You are proving to be quite a spirited child, just like your sister. Your happy is sooo happy and your angry is sooo angry. I will admit that the extremes are exhausting. I had forgotten how tiring this age can be.

The thing about you that your Dad and I talk about most is your silliness. You are a funny kid. Being around you is like hanging around with a stand-up comedian or living in a sitcom. I've said it before, but you'll do anything for a laugh. And the best part is, you know you're funny. You tell jokes and giggle at yourself. The funniest "jokes" often involve animals and animal sounds. For example you'll take a pig and start saying "Baa Baa." Inevitably someone who doesn't know your silly ways, will correct you and you just yell "Baa baa" louder. Then you stop and double over with giggles. Or you tell me you lost something in the sweetest and most concerned voice ("Mama, Tigger lost!") and part way into my search for it, you'll start giggling and pull it out from your hiding place. And the thing is I'm always looking for things you're misplacing, so I never know if you're being serious or not!

You communicate really well and talk in sentences, though occasionally mixed up. I love being able to talk to you so easily. It makes those temper tantrums just a little easier to deal with when I at least know what you're upset about. You're getting good at please and thank you. And you've already figured out that when I say no to something, you can usually just say "Pleeeeeeeeease!" in your sweetest voice and I'll give in. (Seriously, who could say no to that?) You're using more expressions too. The funniest one I've heard lately is "Dang it!" You were carrying a bunch of toys and stumbled and dropped them and yelled "Dang it!" I had never heard you say it before, so it made me laugh. And of course because it made me laugh, you now say it all the time.

Separation had been an issue for a while now. You've finally made a break-through at the Y. It's been months of crying on your part and heart-break on my part every time we went there. But we've had a couple of good weeks (fingers crossed that this continues.) You remind yourself over and over as we're on the way there, "Mama come back for Gace." It's like you're reassuring yourself. And it seems to work. That first day of no tears was so awesome. When I came to pick you up, you came running out smiling "Hi Mama! Y fun!" It's only been 2 classes, but separation at ECFE has gone well too. I know it helps to have Claire there with you.

You will do everything you can to keep up to Claire. It's amazing how much influence your big sister has on you. But you're also so independent. Sometimes you'll just go up to your room and play by yourself. You try to do everything by yourself first. "Me do it!" Only after a few unsuccessful trys, do you finally ask for help. I love this characteristic. Not giving up easily, it will take you far.

You still have strong opinions on your clothes/shoes. Lately it's all been about stripes and polka dots. You come up with the craziest outfits, and when you have your mind set on something, there is no talking you out of it. I can't force you to wear anything you don't want to. Dad put you to bed last night because I was gone, and when I came home and checked on you, you were wearing a pair of polka dot bloomers (that go with a dress) over top of your sleeper and your favorite boots. The days outfit consisted of pink striped sweat pants, a polka dot dress, a polka dot sweater, and Christmas socks. And you love your accessories...hats, necklaces, barrettes, shoes. I can bet you will be wearing a stocking cap well into the summer.

Thankfully the physical acting out that was an issue a few months ago, is no longer. You're able to get your frustrations out without hitting or biting your sister. And during the worst of your biting stage, thankfully Claire and I were the only ones on the receiving end. Your meltdowns and temper tantrums are still going strong. Some days are good and then some days I feel like I can't do anything to your liking and you're screaming at me all day long. Those days are so draining.

Though this age has it's challenges, it also has its many joys. You are full of surprises, giggles, and smiles. I'm loving everything about 21 month old you, tantrums and all.

Love, Mom

Happy Birthday Mom!

2011-04-02T20:46:00.001-05:00

I won't say which birthday this is for her, but it's a big one! (ha, ha!)

And this is obviously a picture from my birthday, not hers, but I thought it was appropriate since it's the first time we met.

Happy Birthday Mom! Sorry we couldn't be there to celebrate with you!

Love this girl!

2011-03-31T14:09:00.000-05:00

First day of "school"

2011-03-29T15:52:00.000-05:00

Last week Grace finished up her music class for the year (well, until the fall) and started her first ECFE class today. I feel bad that she had to wait until she was almost 21 months before her first class, when Claire started as a baby. I guess it goes with the territory of being the second child. But in my defense, they don't allow older siblings in the baby classes so those were out and up until now the toddler classes always interfered with our other activities.

Before class I don't know if I was more nervous about Grace's serious separation issues or Claire's tendencies to monopolize the teachers' attention, when they need to be available for the toddlers. But there was no need to worry. It was a fabulous class. It was great to be back. It has been almost a year since Claire's last class. Anyone who's taken an ECFE class knows how great they are!

It's a small class, which is nice. Claire is the only older sibling in class, but she can entertain herself just fine. And it helps Grace so much to have Claire there with her. Grace had no separation issues this week. You have no idea how happy and relieved that makes me, because we have really been struggling with that for the last few months. It's fun to see Grace interact with other kids her age. She's usually just exposed to older kids. She's not at all shy. She's very friendly and outgoing. And of course, such a goofball!

Reading time

2011-03-24T20:49:00.000-05:00

The lighting was nice so I was trying to get a good picture. But apparently reading time is off limits to cameras. These are the looks I got when I interrupted reading time.

She finally gave up and threw her book down. But this is the best face she'd give me!

Watch out Claire

2011-03-22T16:35:00.000-05:00

Grace is catching up to you!

I haven't taken one of these side by side shots in awhile. I have no doubt that Grace will pass Claire in height eventually.

And here's the first one I took. Amazing, isn't it?!

Cinderella

2011-03-21T10:25:00.000-05:00

We received tickets for Christmas to a production of "Cinderella." We went yesterday afternoon. This was Claire's first theatre experience. She enjoyed it. She sat still and quiet through the first half. The second half of the show she was bouncing around a lot and moving between her seat and our laps. Probably partly because 2 hours is a long time for a 4 yr old to sit still and partly due to the sugar high from the treat we bought her during intermission. But she had fun.

After the show she talked with the stepsisters and Cinderella. She knew that it wasn't the "real" Cinderella, only someone pretending. (because you know, the real Cinderella lives in her castle at Disney World.)

We have gift certificates for the Children's Theater in Mpls too, so we'll be checking out another show soon!

Boot obsession

2011-03-18T11:40:00.001-05:00

Grace loves shoes. Particularly Claire's shoes. And the last couple of weeks she has developed a complete obsession with a pair of Claire's boots. She wears them ALL THE TIME. First thing in the morning, she puts them on, even with pj's. She often naps in them too. She can put them on herself, and will throw a fit if you even suggest that she wears a different pair of shoes. If given the choice, she would walk around wearing only the boots, nothing else. She will probably wear them all summer too. It's a good thing that they are getting too small for Claire, so she doesn't mind that she never gets to wear them anymore.

Proud Mom

2011-03-17T10:50:00.001-05:00

We had spring conferences at preschool for Claire this morning. I'm a proud mama! Of course I already know how bright and wonderful my girl is, but it's always nice to hear that from someone else too! :)

She got a "report card" with 45 different categories, ranging from social skills, motor skills, communication skills and everything in between. They give them a "grade" of either C-Can do, P-Making progress, or W-Needs work. Claire scored C's in 43 categories and P's in the other 2. Her P areas were "I wait patiently for my turn" and "I seek only my fair share of my teacher's attention."

Her teacher said that Claire seeks out the teachers and parent volunteers over the other kids. She said that likely has to do with her intelligence level and she would rather communicate with people more on her same level. But she is willing and open to playing with the other kids and has made a couple of good friends.

Her teacher said Claire is definitely a role model in class. She is the first to volunteer for things, she participates in all activities, she's willing to try anything, she's outgoing, and communicates really well. She said it's great to have someone like Claire in class for some of the other kids to look up to. She also said Claire is very dramatic, but in a good way and she handles her emotions well.

One of the "tests" they did for the report card was to see if the kids could find their own names from a list of names and words. She said not only did Claire recognize her own name, she started reading all the other words. Her teacher said she was shocked, but then again not really surprised that Claire is already reading. She said Claire will do really well in next year's class where the curriculum is more academically based.

The two problem areas that were brought up in fall conferences (being bossy and not being quiet during circle time) are no longer issues.

Claire loves her preschool. I love her preschool. I can't believe there is less than 2 months left!

Random updates

2011-03-14T11:06:00.001-05:00

I made some promises to blog more often, so I'll see what I can do!

Nate sold his car (his "junker" as Claire called it!) and my parents generously offered to give us their old car. So Nate and I flew out to Rapid City on Saturday morning. We spent a couple hours with my family and then headed out in our new car. We drove half way, spent the night in Mitchell, SD and drove the rest of the way Sunday afternoon. Even though we spent 10 hours in the car, it was a little get-away for us. The last time both of us got away for a night without kids was 2 years ago (when I was still pregnant with Grace!) So it was time. Road trips can actually be fun and relaxing when there is no whining or crying coming from the backseat! Grandma K. came and spent the weekend with the girls. I'm sure they were a handful, but Grandma survived! This was the first time I've left Grace overnight. She had some trouble getting to sleep Saturday night, but that was probably to be expected for her first night without either of her parents. Last night they were both over tired and I think Grace was concerned we were going to leave her again, and it took about 2 hours to finally get both of them asleep. This made for a crabby morning!

I've been watching our nephew Jackson 2 days a week, while his normal daycare lady is recovering from back surgery. Grace loves babies and is always so excited to see him! She has also since named all her baby dolls Jackson. Claire could go either way with having another baby around. But she has started questioning when I'm going to have another baby. Ha! In one of our conversations I said something about not being ready for another baby and she said something along the lines of "Well, maybe God wants to give you another baby."

My tutu business is still going. I'm getting a few orders a week. Nothing crazy, but it keeps me busy (like I don't have enough to keep me busy!) Right now the majority of my business seems to be from word of mouth, friends of friends sort of thing. But Google has also been good to me and I'm starting to get people to my site that way also.

We're totally ready for spring! We're sorting through all the summer activity schedules trying to decide what to sign up for. Part of me doesn't want to schedule anything, but I know Claire needs to be around kids her age a few times a week because I think she'd get bored with just me and Grace all summer. Summer can't get here soon enough!

Naughty bucket

2011-03-09T10:34:00.003-06:00

While out with some friends the other night, we were discussing our children (surprise, surprise) and what ages were the hardest. Someone said that all little kids have the same size "naughty bucket" but they just fill it up at different ages/stages. Well, Grace's bucket seems to be filling up quite quickly lately.

The meltdowns and temper tantrums are ridiculous. She talks really well for her age, so I don't think it's the inability to communicate that frustrates her. It seems to be the independence thing. She has such strong feelings about what she wants and how things should be. This morning it was meltdown after meltdown. The constant screaming wears me out. My patience tank was already just about empty by 9:00 am. Claire had some meltdowns at this age too, but certainly not the frequency or intensity that Grace does. When she finally gets all her frustrations out, then she asks for "mama hug, mama hug" and just melts into my arms. She pats my back and says "shhh" like she's trying to calm me down. So sweet. Then she goes back to being her silly, goofy self. At least until I give her the wrong cup or Claire doesn't share a toy. Then we start all over again.

Since Grace is getting it all out now, that must mean she will be the perfect 2 and 3 year old. :) I will keep telling myself that anyway!

Miss Independent

2011-03-04T15:27:00.000-06:00

Grace is sure hitting that independence stage hard. Everything is "I do it!" or the more common "Myself! Myself!" And she will try and try again. She doesn't give up easily at anything.

I think having a big sister is a large part of it. She wants to do everything Claire does. And part of it might have to do with the fact that I expect a lot from her. Having two kids, I just don't have the time to do everything for everyone. She's on her own to figure things out sometimes.

Just this morning, she got dressed, head to toe, entirely by herself. Shirt, pants, socks, and even shoes. I offered help several times when she was struggling, but she just yelled "No, myself!" and pushed my hands away. And along with this, she has been undressing herself for a few weeks now too. It does speed up the morning routine when I get her out of the crib in the morning and she's already undressed! I'm definitely encouraging this independence, even when it results in some pretty crazy outfits, shirts on backwards, and two different shoes.

Anyone who's spent time with Claire knows how different Claire is. At 4 years old, she still insists that she needs help dressing and undressing. (It's certainly not that she can't do it.) I've tried several things to try to get her to do more things herself, but mornings are usually so hectic and crunched for time, that it's so much faster just to help her. I remember being surprised at her first preschool conferences when one comment was how independent she was. And that she never asked for help. She just know that I'll give in and help her!

So now I have a one year old who picks out her own clothes, is very specific about what she wants and dresses herself. And a four year old who could care less about what she wears, would rather me pick out her clothes and still insists that she can't get dressed all by herself. Funny how different they are!

Sisters

2011-02-25T20:58:00.000-06:00

Miss Grace at 19 months

2011-02-24T21:57:00.000-06:00

Peek-A-Boo!!

2011-02-23T20:54:00.000-06:00

More snow

2011-02-22T13:39:00.000-06:00

Living in an association has its good and bad points when it comes to snow removal. The only area that we are in charge of is our small entryway. We don't have to shovel the driveway/parking lot. But that puts us at the mercy of the plow company and whenever they might feel like coming to plow. It snowed all day Sunday and all day Monday. We were snowed in and didn't see the plows until this morning (Tues.) I went outside yesterday to see if there was a possibility of getting out, but the drift in front of our garage door was higher than my waist and I didn't feel like tackling that. Luckily with the holiday there was no preschool or music and dance class ended up getting canceled due to the weather, so we had no where to be.

The entryway we have to shovel is relatively small. However we've gotten so much snow this season that we're running out of room to put it. The pile of snow outside our door is much taller than me and it gets harder and harder to lift the shovel that high. My back was on fire yesterday.

It's this high even after the really warm days we had last week.

And there's a two foot drift hanging off our roof.

Security

2011-02-20T18:18:00.000-06:00

June 2010

April 2010

Claire doesn't have any "security" items and never has. No blankies or lovies, no special animals or toys. I tried, but she just never got attached to anything. Grace on the other hand, well, her must-have list of items just keeps growing. It started with a little security blanket I introduced to her when she was about 5 or 6 months. It was recommended by the sleep book I was reading at the time. And she took to it immediately. It really seemed to help with her sleep issues at the time. Then it was a little turtle that Claire gave her for Valentine's Day last year. She was good with those two things for quite awhile. Sometime after her first birthday, her love of baby dolls started. So then she needed a baby in her crib too.

Fast forward to today, and she now must have her blankie, her turtle, a baby doll (usually any one of them will do, but sometimes she wants a specific one like "cry-baby" or "Em-ly"), a dog (whom she named Elmo), her ladybug pillow pet, and a large turtle pillow (that used to be mine.) Not only does she have all these things, she must have her aquarium music and her twilight ladybug turned on. And she has to get covered up with a specific blanket. It's a lot to remember, but no worries, if I forget something, she's sure to remind me.

I used to try to stick to the rule of leaving everything in her crib (except if we were going out of town or something like that.) Then I started letting her take her baby and blankie out of her crib, but they couldn't leave the house. But now I've thrown all those rules out the window. It's amazing how much any one of those items will calm her. So if my choices are listening to her scream and get upset, or be calm while hanging onto her blankie, well that's obvious. So her blankie and sometimes either a baby or dog come along with her pretty much everywhere. And I'm ok with that for now. At some point this will have to stop, but for now it's a matter of survival. (And I did buy an extra back-up blankie in case one gets lost, so I'm able to switch them out and wash them frequently.)

19 months

2011-02-18T15:49:00.000-06:00

Dear Grace,
This may be late, but at least I'm getting it done before you turn 20 months! You are my fabulous, fun, and feisty 19 month old.

And I do mean feisty. Yikes. Your temper is something else. When you get your mind set on something, there's no talking you out of it. There's been a lot of screaming, a lot of dramatic falling to the floor and kicking your feet, a lot of pushing, shoving, and kicking to get away from me. Getting you in your car seat is always a struggle. Well, getting you to do anything you don't want to do is a struggle. I know it's the age. It will get better. Or at least that's what I tell myself over and over.

But when you're not screaming at me, you are a delight. Just a funny, goofy little girl. You love to make people laugh. You like making funny faces and doing silly things. You love playing with your sister and doing big girl things.

You're talking up a storm these days and I just love hearing your sweet little voice. You are now "Gace" instead of just baby. So it's Gace this and Gace that, all day long. "Mama" and "Dada" have been replaced with "Mommy" and "Daddy," sounds so grown up. You'll repeat anything and thanks to your sister, you're learning all sorts of silly words!

You love when Claire sings to you. You even say "Sis-sis sing pretty!" When Dad or I try to sing to you, "No sing!" with a hand over our mouths. And you tell Daddy, "No piano, Daddy!" all the time when he tries to play. But it's ok if you or Claire play.

You love books and being read to, but you're very particular on which books. The book that got a "No, No!" one day, will be the book you pick out the next day. My dream is to snuggle up with both of my girls and read books all day long. Maybe someday. Right now Claire gets bored with your baby board books and you can't quite sit through her lengthy story books. You have some of your favorites memorized and will finish the sentence for me. And you do often request books by title, which makes me sort through your hundreds of books to find that particular one, because we all know what happens when you don't get what you want!

You're still continuing on your liquid diet. It doesn't matter what I make you, meals consist of only a bite or two. But every few days you'll surprise me and eat a little bit more. You're obviously growing, so I'm not worried about it. You'll eat if you're hungry. And you tell me "Gace hungy!" all the time, but then one bite seems to satisfy you.

I'm not sure if it's just separation anxiety or something else, but lately you have decided you hate the daycare at the YMCA. We're still working on it. Claire loves it and asks to go every day. I'm not ready to give up yet, but it still breaks my heart to leave you when I know you're going to cry the whole time. It's hard to concentrate on what I'm doing because I'm worrying about you. You used to like it. Why the change? It's a fun place and I'll always come back for you. Please just have fun and play and before you know it, I'll be back. No crying, please. Pretty please.

I love the hugs and kisses and cuddles. I love the giggles and happy squeals. I love the silliness. I love you so much! And while we definitely have our daily struggles, I love you just the way you are.

Love, Mom

Tea Party

2011-02-13T19:21:00.003-06:00

A few months ago I was showing Claire some old home movies of mine as a child. One was of a tea party I had at 4 or 5 years old. After I finally convinced Claire that it was me and not her in the video (the resemblence is amazing), she decided that she needed to have a tea party too.

That sounded like a fun idea, so we started planning it. We decided to do it in February and make it a Valentine's Tea Party. We sent out tea pot shaped invitations to her friends. We had fun browsing thrift stores for fancy tea cups and saucers and collecting heart shaped things. She has been excited about it for weeks and has been counting down the days on her calendar. Claire and I spent a lot of time last week making decorations and snacks for the party.

Today was the day!
It was so fun! 4 year old girls are adorable. They did crafts, decorated cupcakes, got dressed up and had their tea party!

Doing some Valentine crafts...

Decorating cupcakes...

While the girls were in the other room, I got the table ready for their tea party. Claire and I had made coated pretzels and heart lollipops. I cut heart shapes out of cheese, bologna and ham. And also heart shaped PB&J sandwiches. And of course Valentine tea (cherry Kool-aid) to put in their fancy tea cups.

I used the cupcakes they decorated for place setting cards.

Claire was trying to drink her tea with her pinky out, but she didn't quite get it!

Fancy girls ready for their fancy tea party!

I had fun and I'm pretty sure all the girls did too! Claire is already talking about her next tea party!

A day in the life...Wednesday

2011-02-04T11:00:00.002-06:00

I was expecting to be on my own for the entire week, as Nate was scheduled for 5 days. But due to the storms, his flights were all canceled for the rest of the week. This definitely makes my life easier!

7:00--I'm up.
7:35--Claire's up.
7:40--Grace is up.
Get Claire dressed, fed, and ready for school
8:40--Claire and I are out the door. Nate and Grace are eating breakfast.
8:55--Get to preschool. Beach Day!! Their theme for the last 2 weeks has been the beach and ocean, with the final day being Beach Day. All the kids are wearing summer clothes and their preschool room is decorated with inflatable palm trees and other summery things. It looks like it will be a extra fun day.

Here's Claire with her best friend from preschool in their summery sundresses!

9:20--Spent some time playing with Grace. Nothing too noteworthy.
11:30--Pick up Claire from school. Sounds like she had a fabulous Beach Day. They even had ice cream with chocolate and sprinkles for their mid-morning snack! It's so much easier doing the preschool pick-up without Grace!
Lunch and then nap time for Grace.
Claire wanted to do a craft, so I decided we could get an early start on Valentine's cards. So we spent the afternoon making cards for her dance class Valentine party. They turned out pretty cute! We'll have to come up with something different for preschool, as they don't allow treats with the Valentine cards.

5:30--Try to get the girls ready to leave. Claire is not listening. The tiredness from getting home late from Mankato last night is catching up to her. She's being very difficult. She won't put her coat on. She's running around like a wild child. Finally threaten to skip choir. That does the trick. (I followed through with that threat a few months ago and she now knows I'm serious about it.)
5:45-On our way to church.
6:00--Take Claire to Praise Choir. One of her favorite activities. Her teacher is awesome and has amazing patience.

Didn't have the best angle for taking pictures. Claire's in the black pants, showing off her belly.

Nate, Grace and I enjoy the Wednesday Night supper while Claire is busy singing. Grace has about two bites and then is "All done." She attempts to climb out of her highchair multiple times. She starts whining. We take her out of her highchair and she just runs around entertaining all the older ladies.
6:30--Pick up Claire. As we are getting ready to leave, Grace runs toward the nursery and starts yelling, "Play! Play!" So we give the girls 10 minutes to play in the nursery.
7:00--Home. Get the girls a little snack.
8:00--Bedtime!

A day in the life...Tuesday

2011-02-02T16:38:00.000-06:00

7:45AM--Grace's awake.
7:46--Claire's awake.
A somewhat leisurely morning.
9:40--Getting ready to head out the door. Grace starts yelling, "Poop!" Hurry to change her diaper. Hear a crash in the kitchen. Cat knocked over an entire cup of water all over the floor. Clean up that mess.
9:50--Finally out the door.
9:55--Pull into the Y. Hurry to get Claire ready for her swim lesson, while trying to keep Grace from wandering off too far.
10:00--Find Claire's swim instructor. Right on time. I am the Queen of Right on Time. Never late and rarely early. It's an amazing talent.
Grace and I watch.

10:30--Lesson over. Get Claire's mid-session report. Her instructor, Sarah says Claire should advance to the next level for next session. Sarah says, "Claire's not doing everything she's supposed to at this level, but it's not that she can't. She's just, well...." Sarah doesn't finish her sentence, she just laughs. Stubborn, maybe? Sarah thinks being with kids older than her would be beneficial for Claire. Peer pressure or something.
10:35--Get Claire showered. Grace runs into the shower (fully clothed) with Claire. Try to dry out her clothes with the hand dryer. Get them dressed and bundled up.
10:50--Leave the Y with a screaming toddler. ("Baby walk! Baby walk!")
11:00--Arrive at Super Target for a few essentials. Grace won't sit in the front of the cart. She tries climbing out of the back. I finally let her walk. I wanted to be in and out as quickly as possible, but now we're moving at a toddler's pace (which means walking in every direction except the one I want to go, pulling random things off the shelves and running into other customers and getting in their way.) After we check out, I try again to put Grace in the cart. She starts screaming, so I carry her out to the car while pushing the cart. She's mad and will not sit in her car seat. Along with the screaming, she pulls the arched back trick and I have to practically break her legs to get her to sit in her car seat. Ugh.
11:35--Pull into the driveway the exact same time as Nate! Surprise! He's home!

And as of now it looks like he might be home for the rest of the week, as they canceled his flights due to the blizzard in Chicago.
He offers to take the girls to Mankato for the rest of the day. I never say no to that!

A rare and relaxing afternoon without children. The house is so quiet.

A day in the life...Monday

2011-02-01T15:21:00.001-06:00

4:05AM--Nate's alarm goes off.
4:10--My alarm goes off. I shove him.
4:15--I shove him some more.
4:20--After I shove him again, he finally gets up. I go back to sleep. He has a 6:00AM flight to Chicago to catch.
7:00--I get up, shower, get ready.
7:30--Grace wakes up. Get her changed and dressed. Wait for Claire to wake up. They typically wake within minutes of each other.
8:10--Still no sign of Claire waking, which is unusual. I hate to wake her up.
8:15--I finally wake Claire, because we can't possibly wait any longer to avoid being late. She's grumpy.
Things get a little hectic and rushed trying to get her ready for school. She's grumpy and moving like a snail. Like a sleepy, grumpy snail.
8:25--Quick bowls of cereal for the girls. Many reminders to stop talking and just eat.
Coffee and breakfast on the road for me.
8:40--Gather up all our stuff and head to the car. Takes me two trips to the car with kids and stuff. Claire just wants to play in the new snow. (More snow, yuck!)
8:45--On the road. Terrible, unplowed roads. A few inches sure messes things up.
9:00--Pull into preschool. Lot hasn't been plowed and I'm the only car in the front lot. Weird. Did school get canceled? Turns out everyone was just running late and we were the first there.
9:05--We attempt to leave school. Grace wants to stay. She yells "Baby schoo?" over and over. I think she's asking if she can stay at school too.
I get her to leave only with promises of music class later.
She screams and hits when I pick her up. ("Baby walk! Baby walk!") But they haven't shoveled and she doesn't have on boots. So I carry the screaming, thrashing child out to the car.
She calms down in the car. We head to the bank. Then head over to the credit union. Seriously, we really need to start do all of our banking at one place.

9:35--Done with our errands and heading off to church. Get on Hwy 77 and traffic slows to a crawl. Stupid snow. It took us 25 minutes to get to church, when it usually takes only 10. Good thing we had a little extra time.
10:00--Pull into church. Just in time.
Grace's music class starts. Small group. Only 3 kids today. Rhythm sticks and scarves today.

Grace’s music class is always fun. She’s by far the youngest, but she does really well. She’s a good listener and attempts to do everything that’s asked of her. Her music teacher comments on how she thinks Claire and Grace look nothing alike (she had Claire in class for 2 years.)

11:05--Leave music church and head to preschool church. (We spend a lot of time in churches during the week!) Grace has had enough of the car and starts whining.
11:25--Get to preschool and wait for Claire.
As we were waiting for Claire, the preschool director, Sandy spots Grace wandering around and comments on how it is so easy to tell who her sibling is. (Funny how everyone sees different things in the kids!) Sandy also came over to tell me Claire’s new jokes for the day. Claire is a joke teller and is always entertaining her teachers with new jokes.
11:35--Trying to get Claire's papers and art projects rounded up. Get on her coat and boots. Preschool kids and siblings everywhere. It's always a little chaotic. I lose Grace for a minute as she wanders into a classroom. Grace starts screaming and thrashing again as I carry her out to the car ("Baby walk! Baby walk!")
11:55--Home. Claire immediately heads up to her room and shuts the door. Like she does everyday after preschool. Despite how outgoing as she is, she must have a little introvertedness in her. She seems to need that quiet alone time after school or after being with friends.
12:00--Making lunch while a toddler hangs on my legs shrieking "Baby hungy!"
1:00--The girls played upstairs together for almost 45 minutes with no yelling or screaming...a new record!
2:00--Nap time for Grace.
Claire watches a Tinkerbell movie. I finish up a tutu order and start on an adult sample tutu (I’m making a few adult tutus for some women running the Disney Princess Marathon...how fun! (and by fun, I mean the wearing tutus and going to Disney World part, not the running a marathon part!)
4:00--Grace is still napping. I love long naps!! Claire is doing puzzles and making up songs. I shovel the front entry for the second time today.
4:10--Grace wakes up.
4:45--Start getting ready for dance class. Claire's mad that I only have a plain black tutu for her to wear today. Grace yells and screams for a "Toot toot! Baby toot toot!" Sorry, no tutu for you today. Snacks before dance, because Claire needs extra energy (or so she tells me.)

5:10--Out the door. Been snowing all day. Roads still crappy.
5:25--We rush into dance and get Claire ready. She rushes to find all of her friends. Her teacher is definitely stepping up the discipline this year. She has talked to me a couple of times this year about Claire and last week suggested Claire stand in the middle and preferably away from her friends. So Claire and I had a big talk before class about standing in the middle, listening and paying attention. A couple girls got taken out of class. And Claire was not one of them. Yay! After class, her teacher came over and said Claire did really well today. She even got to demonstrate a ballet move in front of the class because she was doing it so well (she was quite proud of herself.) During dance, Grace played in the playroom a little. But mostly just clung to my legs and got in the way of everyone else.
Because Claire did so well at class (and because we don't get out of dance until 6:30 and I didn't feel like cooking), she got her choice for supper. Burger King it was. No kids meal though. It's a new rule, we don't need any more crappy plastic toys. She's surprisingly fine with that rule.
6:50--Claire devoured her meal and told me it was because she had worked out so hard in dance. Grace just wanted "Mo pickles, pees!"
7:00--Early PJ's for Grace because she spilled water all over herself. She's been working on using a real cup and does well almost all of the time.
7:15--Both girls seem tired, so we bumped up the bedtime routine a few minutes.
7:45--Claire down.
7:50--Yay! Grace down without a peep tonight.

A day in the life...Sunday

2011-01-31T20:31:00.002-06:00

Something new for the week...

7:15 AM--I'm up.
7:30--Start nagging Nate to get up.
7:45--Still trying to get Nate up.
8:00--Grace wakes up and starts yelling "Daddy!" That finally does the trick.
8:01--Claire is up with a "Gooooood Moooooorning everyone!"
Claire hops in the shower (no time for bath yesterday.) Go through the screaming and drama of hair washing. Help her get dressed. Go through the screaming and drama of combing her hair. Go through the screaming and drama of drying her hair. She doesn't want a ponytail, pigtails, or barrettes. We finally settle on a headband. Nate is getting Grace dressed. (Only after I tell him to stop playing and actually start dressing her.)
8:35--Take the girls downstairs for breakfast, while Nate showers and gets ready. Load up my bag with snacks for church.
8:50--Start giving Nate a countdown. ("We have to leave in 10 minutes.")
8:55--Another reminder. ("Are you almost ready? We're leaving in 5 minutes")
9:00--He's still not ready. So I take Claire out and get her buckled in. Then I get Grace.
9:08--We're off to church.

I would like to say that having Nate home would make the morning a little less hectic, but to be honest it's like having a third child. But to give him some credit, he does make church easier.

9:25--We're actually early for church. (I know the latest time we can possibly leave the house to make it in time, and then the time I tell Nate is 10 minutes earlier than that. I've been doing that for 11 years now. I've got it figured out.)

On this particular Sunday, the girls did not have Sunday School. Instead the worship service was a "Worship Young Service," a special service designed for families with a children's sermon and kids activities. It makes for a relaxing service because the whole place is filled with kids, so I don't have to worry too much about keeping mine quiet.
PreK - 3rd graders sing "This Little Light of Mine" during offering. This is one of Claire's favorites, so I'm glad she actually sang rather than shouted it as she usually does. I'm also happy that they had little fake candles to hold...because yesterday as she was singing to Aunt Kristin, Claire used her middle finger as her candle and that might have been a little embarrassing in church.

They sang 4 verses, here's the first.

10:30--On our way home. Stop by the gas station for a newspaper. Ours didn't get delivered. Claire yells at Nate when he gets back in the car for not buying her a pink milk. She's soooooo thirsty and can't possibly wait until we get home. (We're 2 blocks from home.)
The girls play for an hour and then we have lunch. Leftovers.
Nate decided to put in a "Winnie the Pooh" movie so he can get some things done. (I don't let Grace watch TV. But when I put Nate in charge because I need a break from the kids, as long as they're quiet, I don't care what they're doing.) Cleaning and laundry for me. Organizing the garage and finally storing the last of the Christmas decorations for Nate.

1:45--I attempt to put Grace down for her nap. It's not happening. She talks and yells and mumbles and shouts for an hour. No crying, but no sleeping either. (Dare I suggest it's because of the TV before nap?)
2:45--Nate goes up to try to quiet her down. She screams for a few minutes and finally falls asleep.
Claire and Nate play with the Marble Run.
3:45--I head out to meet my friend Jenny for our kickboxing class.
5:30--Home from the Y. I don't know what happened here while I was gone. It's usually best if I don't know. But when I got home, the music was blasting and they were having a dance party in the basement.
6:00--Nate made us a yummy supper.
6:45--A rousing game of Chutes and Ladders. Then Light Brite. And Marble Run.
7:30--Teeth brushed. Story time.
8:00--Claire's down. Grace is crying.
Grace has been having a little trouble going to bed the last week or so. It almost seems like she is starting to be afraid of the dark. Not sure how to deal with this, as we've never had trouble putting her to bed in all of her 18 months. She cries as soon as the light goes out. Usually I just hold her and try to calm her for a few minutes which works. Tonight Nate just laid on her floor for 5 minutes while she was in her crib and that seemed to work too. Hoping it's just a phase because it was nice to have one kid that was so easy to put to bed.

8:15--Ahhh. A quiet house.