Make me feel better

Sometimes I don't know what would be better.

Having a child that doesn't like taking medicine?

Or

Having a child that likes taking medication so much that she thinks it will cure anything?

Tonight Hannah was outside with daddy.  A real loud motorcycle went by and scared her.  She came running into the house crying "I need medicine make me feel better!"  What in the world?!

It sounded like a good idea at the time

On the way home from Jackie's tonight Hannah asked if she could go in the sprinkler when she got home.

As you could see from the pool party post a few days ago, you know that this girl loves swimming. Sprinklers? Not so much.

Jackie has water day during the summer where all kids bring their suits and she lets them run through the sprinkler. Hannah gets real excited about these days but then when daddy goes to pick her up, she can be found sitting off to the side. It must be something about getting sprinkled with water.

Tonight as soon as the water would touch her she would run over to the towel and wipe dry. We went in a got Baby. I am surprised that we got out of the house without putting a swimsuit on her considering she needed to be lathered up with suntan lotion.

Hailey sat in the yard providing encouragement.

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

1 can Black Beans drained

2 C Sweet Corn
1 Red Pepper Chopped
1 Bunch Cilantro Chopped
1 Bunch Green Onion Chopped
1 Shallot Minced
3-4 Jalapeno Peppers chopped

Mix Above Ingredients

1/3 C White Wine Vinegar
1/3 C Olive Oil
1/2 t Salt
1/4 t Pepper
1/4 t Cayenne Pepper
1/2 t Cumin

Combine ingredients and mix, add to bean and corn mixture and stir. Chill and serve with tortilla chips.

ENJOY!

Different kinda line up

It is not very often that Hannah plays alone.

Today she was playing in her room with the door shut.  She was being so quiet that for a moment it made me nervous to think about what she was doing in there.

So, I had the internal debate...do I go and check on her with the chance that I will remind her that I am in the house therefore being expected to join in or do I let her be and trust that she isn't getting into trouble (she has NEVER colored on the walls, cut anything she isn't suppose to with those scissors, etc...it will happen...is today the day?).

So I opened her bedroom door to find this....

I guess she wasn't playing alone after all.

She had all of the Sodas, Babys, Olivias, Tinys, and Baby Morgans all lined up and she was reading to them.

As I was peaking in the door, before she knew I was there, I overheard this :  "Soda, that was not a nice girl.  We don't hit in this house.  Those are my rules.  You do again, you get time out."

Those are my rules.  love it :-)

Nothing like takin' a dip in the pool

Saturday was the annual Nelson's Pool Party.

All of the neighbors, from where Brian and Jennifer grew up, get together with their families and have a pool party and BBQ.  Each year there are more and more kids there :-)

I was amazed at how great Jennifer's kids do in the water and it got me thinking that I really need to get Hannah into swimming lessons.

Miss Courtney.  Jumping in front of the camera being her silly-self.  Courtney is 6 now and is such a sweet cousin.  She always pays attention to Hannah and Hailey.  I don't think I have ever seen her walk past Hailey without stopping to pat her on the top of the head or give her a little kiss.

Justin the fish.  This kid is a natural born swimmer.  Without even blinking he walked over to the diving board and jumped right off. Tom had to keep reminding him that he really can't swim too well and he needed to leave those floaters on.  It was crazy to see how brave he was in the water.

Adam.  Three weeks older than Hannah by age and 10 years by amount of courage.  Many times throughout the day I would be watching the 'shallow end' to see Hannah with the other kids and then turn my head to the right and there would be Adam, doggy paddling in the deep end.  A few times he got up the courage to stand on the diving board.  He never made it off but it wasn't for lack of trying!

Then there is Hannah.

She loves the water and all day kept running up to daddy and me telling us that she loves that pool. 

Jennifer helped her get on top of the floating turtle...looks like it wasn't too sturdy :-)

Thanks to Auntie Jennifer who went swimming with Hannah so she could enjoy the pool.  She had so much fun and is already asking when she can go back to go swimming.  Looks like we need to talk Grandpa into putting a pool in the back yard :-)

Welcome to my new office

The last week I have spent so much time in my car that it feels like my new office. 

I have had meetings at different locations and I feel like I am constantly on the move.  The other day I had actually scheduled conference calls for the time in between meetings where I knew I would be commuting between sites.  It worked out well but, that day especially, I longed to be in my office.  My real office.  If even for just an hour.  This next week isn't looking any better - actually it is looking worse.

Get that daddy!

Brian and I typically leave the house at the same time each morning.  He helps me carry things out to the car and then we follow him out of the driveway.  Most mornings Hannah keeps a close eye on daddy and when he starts to get a little too far away she yells "Get that daddy!  Catch 'em, mommy!"  A few miles up the road, daddy turns right and we continue straight.  Hannah waves to daddy and the whole rest of the way to Jackie's Hannah asks "where daddy is going?" "why did daddy take that path?"  "Daddy going to work mommy?"  "

Bear and a Book

It was bear and book day at Jackie's.  All of the kids could bring a stuffed toy and a book to read.   Hannah brought her favorite book, Rosie's Party, and of course Soda (the monkey version).  Tonight she wanted to read the book to Hailey and me.  She instructed us to sit on the floor and proceeded to read the book to us.  I was actually quite surprised to hear her go through the pages of the book and recite the story to me.  She was almost perfect.  Just missed a few words. 

Best jammies in the whole world!

Hannah (while opening the JCPenney bag to see what is inside) : 

"Mommy, did you buy me these new jammies?"

Me:

"Yes.  Do you li "

(and before I could get another sound out)

Hannah: 

"I love them.  They are so pretty.  These are the best jammies in the whole world!  Thanks mommy to buying these."

These jammies can now be referred to as the Dora-spin-jammies  (cause they spin when she twirls, of course)

Big shoes to fill

So, not only does Hannah like to dig in mommy's drawers...she has found Hailey's stash of shoes.

She was in Hailey's room talking to her baby.

Hannah: "Oh baby, I am so proud of you.  You did such a good job getting dressed."

Baby:  "  "

Hannah:  "What a good sweetheart, mommy so proud to you."

 *kiss to the forehead and eskimo kiss to the nose*

Baby:  "  "  (but of course I am SURE that she was smiling inside)

Oh, we went to Costco today and Hannah needed to take this baby-with the shoes on- with us. We were quite the talk around the store that day.

Swingin'

Remember what it was like to swing? 

Sure, you may sit on and swing and swing a little every now and then but it is not the same as how it felt to swing when you were growing up.  Now when you swing you worry about the swingset tipping over or the rope/chain breaking.  You are looking at the ground and checking out the sturdiness of the construction of the playground...aren't you?  Not these kids.  Just watch a child on a swing.  So carefree and full of trust.

This weekend for Father's Day we went to Jennifer and Tom's.  They have a swingset and Hannah really enjoyed playing on it.  She loves to swing but I had never seen her so happy about it!

At one point when Daddy was pushing her she was laughing so hard that I was certain that she was going to face plant into the ground.

You see that pure joy in her face?

I love these moments*

*even if inside I was having a mini-heart attack worried that if she let go or slipped off the seat that she would fall and 'crack her head open' (hey sisters-ever heard that one before?)

Ride, Hannah, Ride

Hannah finally learned how to ride her big girl bike this weekend.

A little over a month ago she finally got the hang of pedaling her tricycle.  At that time she was not interested at all in riding this bike.  She liked to sit on it and ding the bell but once it actually started moving she was done. 

The neighbor's grandson, Brody, came over this weekend.  He is a little younger than Hannah but has the courage of an 18 yr old.  He was riding a boy version of this bike and once Hannah saw that she wanted to get in on the party.  She got up on the bike and with a few small pushes got the bike to go.

Within about 10 minutes she had figured out how to start the bike herself and how to stop using the pedals as brakes.  We went and picked out a helmet and now we are spending lots of time out in the driveway.

"Look at me mommy, I'm riding!"

Create your own caption

I was looking through some recent pictures and ran across this one.

I love this look on her face.

Post a comment and tell me what you think she was thinking?

Babies go potty too

How many times could you say that you walked into your bathroom to find out that your 2-yr old daughter's baby-doll has used the toilet?

Best part about this is that Hannah was with me, carrying her baby, when I found this.

Her response "Baby!  You did it!  Good Job!"

As if she didn't know...

Chow Time!

9 months later and Hannah is still in love with having a little sister.

Lately she has wanted to help out by feeding Hailey.

She actually does a pretty decent job and even though things get a little messy, they both seem to think that the set up works just fine.

It is so nice to have such a 'little- big helper' but at the same time instead of taking the opportunity to get something done, I find myself sitting by and soaking it all in.

 I spend every moment of their supper-time interaction watching them watch each other. 

I watch them communicate - watching how Hannah talks to Hailey and encourages her to keep eating. 

I watch Hannah get so excited that her sister is eating and so proud that she was the one that was there to put the food in her mouth. 



I watch as Hannah uses the spoon to clean up the food from Hailey's chin.

I watch and I realize that somewhere along the way I must have done something right to have raised a little girl who is so willing to help others.  A little girl who isn't finding a way to take attention away from her sister but actually gives it to her.  A little girl who speaks to her sister with words of encouragement and love. 

It melts my heart and makes me so proud to be their mother.

Vocabulary

I love having a two year old.

I love talking to her and finding out what new word she has learned or what new concept she has picked up on.  She is constantly learning new things and surprising me with how smart she is.

Some of the new words that she has been using:

(I will only be including the appropriate ones here-we don't want to talk about the others...)

Plenty  :  "Mom, we have plenty of toilet paper."

"I not need anymore chicken daddy, I have plenty."

Best Buddy:  "Daddy, I have to go to the bathroom, you help me?  Thanks, you are my best buddy."

"Mommy, let's play Jackie's.  We can play together because we are best buddies."

Ta Da! :  "My tummy is full.  Want to see?  (lifts shirt)  Ta Da!  See?"

Delivery:  "Mom, close you eyes.  I making you some mail.  Ding Dong - open you eyes, I have a delivery."

Well done, MN, well done

Stacey and Shane have season tickets for the Twins.

Stacey invited me to the game today.  Brian and Shane dropped us off at the Northstar train station in Anoka and we took a 30 minute ride to downtown. 

You get off the train, go up an escalator, walk outside and there it is....Target Field.

It is beautiful. 

Sitting outside watching baseball the way it was meant to be watched.  Outside.

My favorite part of the new field is the fact that when you are watching the games online you see the Minneapolis skyline in the background...being there and seeing it for yourself is unreal.

I can't wait to make it to an evening game some night.

Too bad we lost 7-3, really it didn't matter.  The ballpark was a site to see.

Your sad side

Hannah drew this picture of me.

"Look mom, it's your sad side (said with a frown on her face)"

She then added the smile to the picture.

"Look mom, now you happy!"

Not a bad portrait coming from a 2 yr old.

H is for Hannah

This right here is a sign that the money that I pay for daycare is well worth it.  Everyday Jackie does some type of artwork or worksheet with the kids and everyday they write their names on the paper.  Jackie has told me in the past that she helps the younger kids by helping the write the letters in their name while they hold the pencil.  Tonight Hannah was sitting at the table- she grabbed a pad of paper and a pen and stated that she was going to write her name.  Just like nothing she draws this H.  See mom, I did it!   I am not sure if this is normal for a 2 yr 9 month old child and in reality it probably isn't all that special for her age, I don't know, is it?  Well, regardless it doesn't matter.  Her mommy sure is proud of her and thinks she is real special!

Kid proofing

(are you done giggling yet?)

Hannah came out of my bedroom dressed like this. 

She was digging in my drawers and found this pair of maternity underwear.

She kept playing with the 'straps', pulling them up if they would slip.  She wore this 'suit' of hers for the better part of the day.  Brian and I were laughing to hard to take it off of her.

Hailey-Boo

How did she do it?

How did Kristin capture this PERFECT moment on her camera?

The little twist of her body, the smile on her face, the wrinkle in her chubby little knee, the way her tongue is just perfectly positioned in her mouth!  AUGH- this picture is so cute it actually makes me hurt a little.

Hannah has decided that she is going to call Hailey, Hailey-Boo.

So, to daddy Hailey is Scoobies.

To Hannah she is Hailey-Boo.

To mom she is My little baby who isn't so little anymore and makes me want to cry because she is getting too big.

Check

Hannah and I were heading downstairs.

She packed up her cart of the things she wanted to bring.

When I asked her if she had everything ready to go downstairs she replied with

"Baby? Check.

Nashy's ball? Check.

Nack (translation snack) ? Check.

Drink? Check."

"Yep, got it all mom."

E.T. Phone Home

I try to be really quiet in the morning when I get up and get ready for work.

I know that as soon as I make enough noise, Hannah's ears are going to open and I will hear the 'drunken stupor stumble walk' to the door.  The door knob will rattle as the 'woken bear' rises for the day.

Most mornings she wants to go straight to the couch to watch cartoons and eat toast.

A handful of mornings she wants to be with me.  Every step of the way.

"Hee Hee- Mommy, you naked!"

"Mommy, what are you doing now? Putting on you makeup?"

"Mommy, you bring me to Jackie's today?"

"Mommy, I not like that loud dryer.  You use that today?"

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, I want you to cuddle me."

"Mommy, Mommy, where's Hailey?"

"Mommy, want to make a pile with me?  (this is what she calls it when two people go #1 but you only flush once...maybe TMI but you will get over it)

Dankie is always with us, being shoved up her nose or in her ear, wrapped around her head or between her toes, being used as a pillow, being tossed into the air-as 'pizza Dankie'.

Tired yet?

Just think, while you are sound asleep in your bed, this is going on at our house.

All around 5:30 am

Now we're talking!

How do you like our new ride?

I finally got a Sit-n-Stand stroller like I wanted.

This allows a child to sit in the front of the stroller and another child to either sit or stand in the back of the stroller.  Now I can go places with both girls alone. Woo Hoo!

Hannah was usually pretty good about walking next to the stroller when Hailey had to ride in it but let me tell you, you don't move very fast pushing a stroller and walking with a 2-year old.

We took it to the mall for the first time last weekend and it was wonderful!

Hannah loves riding in the back and depending on the mood she is in she can either face forward and enjoy the ride or turn around and chat with me.

Which do you think she chooses?

Yep.  you guessed it.

I get to hear all about how 'Jackie has a stroller for kids, mom.  I don't have to use the leash.  Isabelle has to use the leash cause she runs, but not me.  I am good."

Any day now

Just within the past week Hailey has been making more and more progress towards crawling.

She is starting to get up on all fours and rocking back and forth.

I am so excited for her to start crawling but at the same time I am not ready.

I am not ready for my baby to be mobile.

My uterus is already starting to ache a little bit just thinking about it.

Ohhhh...mister box...(translation Oh, Mr. Fox)

Hannah LOVES to play Mr. Fox.

This game is where one person is Mr Fox and stands in the yard.

The others stand on the other side of the yard and yell to Mr. Fox "Mr. Fox, what time is it?"

Mr. Fox tells the kids what time it is and the kids take that many steps towards Mr. Fox. 

Once they get close enough, they ask the time and Mr. Fox says 'Lunchtime!" and then chases the kids.  Whomever Mr. Fox tags is the next fox.

This particular day Hannah really embraced her role and rubbed her belly and licked her lips as the kids got closer*.

*have I menioned how much I love my camera? NO way I would have gotten this picture if she knew that I was taking it!

Cause and Effect

These are the scissors that cut the paper.

This is the paper that liters my house.

Remember a while back there was a posting about Hannah using scissors like a 'big girl'?

Well, she has mastered the scissors and now spends every afternoon with daddy, waiting for mom to come home from work, cutting paper. 

And we aren't just talking cutting paper in half.  We aren't talking about cutting shapes out of the pages that we are cutting.

We are talking about cutting the paper so small that she could sell it as confetti.

I am not kidding.

Anyone want to come and sweep my floor or pick papers out of the rugs?

Blog-blocker

I apologize for not keeping up on my blog so well lately. Work has gotten in the way. I guess you could say that work has been 'Blog-blocking' me.

I find that no matter how many hours are in the day I can't keep up with the number of incoming emails and other daily 'things to do'. I am working all day in the office and many nights I am logging on after the kids go to bed. I am checking emails in the car, at the grocery store, first thing in the morning.

It is getting pretty sick.

I used to look forward to putting the kids to bed at night so that I could sit down with my pictures and blog. It is a great way for me to jot down my random thoughts and memories of things that have happened recently so that when I do find time to scrapbook again I have a good place to start.

Hannah is at such a fun age right now and I love to document her little statements and snip-its of her personality. Hailey is growing so fast that it is a good place for me to document her milestones.

I am going to give myself a little break and not get so down about all the things that I want to do but don't have time.

I will catch up.

I know I will.

How 'bout?

Hannah:  "Mom, this is my pink stool."

Me:  "Hannah, how about we don't pick that sticker off the stool?"

Hannah:  "How 'bout I do?"