When it's your pink zebra's birthday, it seems only appropriate to throw a party and invite Pinkie Pie's closest friends. Of course, first you need to make sure the party set up is on point and the snacks are delicious. Mini Banana Chocolate Chip muffins, anyone?
I love being a girl mom and never want to forget these sweet moments.
In other news...
These sisters are hanging out already.
Ella is proudly putting together Lego sets by herself now! She is determined and works so hard to do it even though it is still challenging for her. I love seeing her perseverance and dedication. When she gets mixed up or makes a mistake, she doesn't give up. She just tries harder. She only gets upset if someone tries to come in and take it over for her. :)
Abby is still a Lego loving master.
I leave you with a snapshot of our beautiful ballerinas practicing their arabesques.
...new bunk beds - We made more space in the big girl room by stacking beds. The girls love the way it makes their room look and have been loving the special spaces in their beds. It was definitely a helpful switch that makes their space more enjoyable.
Of course that meant that we had to rearrange their walls too. I channeled my inner Jojo from Fixer Upper and came up with this fun letter arrangement. The girls and I kind of love it.
...the 100th day of school - Abby's class celebrated their 100th day of school by creating a t-shirt of 100 things. Abby chose colorful polka dots, which gave me a perfect reason to go to Hobby Lobby and buy puffy paint for the first time in twenty years! Let the fun begin.
Of course, Ella didn't want to miss out on this fun!
This is Abby's Kindergarten class on the 100th day of school. Aren't they sweet? ...winter break and lots of family time
One of the best parts of having a daddy who works from his office at home is being able to pop in for visits when he is not on a call or in a meeting.
I was looking through some of my old pictures and found these of me as a baby. I saw Juliet in both of them. She makes that same face I'm making in the top picture.
This is Juliet and I at the same age.
...the discovery of Elmo- Joe was watching Juliet and couldn't get her to settle down until he remembered a tried and true trick that we learned with Abby...Elmo's song. It was one of Abby's favorites. He put on the three minute YouTube clip and just like that, Juliet was calm.
I need sleep, but they need me (even the dog). It's 7 am and I'm already catching up with Monday morning here. I need energy ASAP, but there is also no where I'd rather be.
Look at this lovely girl and her beautiful curls!
It doesn't get sweeter than this.
...first foods- Juliet started food this month. Her first and very favorite was sweet potatoes. She has also tried pears, peas and bananas. So far, she prefers the veggies over fruits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuwUNPKVPbg
...Valentine's Day celebrations-
It's pretty special when your daddy is able to rearrange his meeting schedule, so that he can make a special appearance at your school Valentine's party! Abby's day was made. There is nothing like a daddy's love.
I love these little Kindergarten (and dance) buddies!
Because in our house, even the milk is pink on Valentine's Day. We started the morning with a special red and pink heart filled breakfast, followed by a scavenger hunt of heart clues throughout the house. With a house full of girls who love all things pink, glittery, flowery and lovey, Valentine's Day is a favorite. My personal favorite was that any time Abby and Ella started to get frustrated with each other, Ella would stop her sister and say, "Abby, we can't do this today. It's Valentine's Day. Come here. Let's love each other!"
The night before Valentine's was a zero sleep, sick baby kind of night making my after breakfast morning nap and Joe's specialty cappuccino the best gifts ever by a landslide. That and all of those sweet cards made by my babies. Oh and the fact that their daddy thinks I'm cute even when I'm not showered and in my sweats.
The girls were sick on Valentine's Day (and the entire week after), so the special family dinner I had planned kind of fell apart when I realized no one was going to eat it. We were all exhausted. I had managed a special breakfast and lunch (heart shaped grilled cheeses and tomato soup), but by dinner I was wiped. We gave the girls leftovers and got them ready for bed. While I was ready to fall into my bed without even eating, Joe wanted to make our leftovers special. He set the table, lit some candles and put on music for a little romantic dinner for two. We told the girls they could read quietly in their room while we ate dinner. The girls thought it was just the sweetest thing. They couldn't stop giggling and smiling about our candlelight dinner. They were captivated by it all. After about fifteen minutes, they tiptoed out of their room with pretend cameras in hand to take our picture and then informed us that our dancing entertainment had arrived. It made for the perfect ending to Valentine's Day. I love their giddy little girl hearts and I love that our girls have this example of a man before them.
...playdates with friends
...fun physics projects- Thanks to the girls Goldieblox sets, they learned about propulsion and momentum and had a ton of fun doing it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az4mEt0OUhk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI_MiaMgtIs
...lots of fun playing together
This moment was the best. Juliet has laughed. We have all been doing funny things in her face to make her laugh, sometimes more successfully than others. Depends on her mood, really. But, on this afternoon, we were all hanging out in the living room. Juliet was in her exersaucer and Abby tripped over a toy as she was walking by. She fell in front of Juliet and suddenly Juliet started laughing. It was hysterical because no one was trying to make her laugh. We turned on the video camera and caught some of Abby's repeat attempts. It was so fun, but nothing beat the initial moment that surprised us all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YDp5BHW47s
Juliet loves bath time!
Too many sick days...We were sick all of winter break. From the very first day until the very end. Every body was in pretty rough shape. All of the days seemed to blend together from lack of sleep, endless coughing, a calendar that was cleared out and too much TV.
This was day three of fevers. Two kids down. Popsicles before lunch. PJs all day. We spent the day playing lots of games, reading lots of books and watching copious amounts of Odd Squad and Cupcake Wars. Showering felt like a luxury.
Abby's "Get Well Soon" silly putty creation for her sister
When I realized the sickness was not letting up anytime soon, I broke out of the house to load up at the library. More books. More movies. STAT.
This virus was ROUGH.
Nothing says time for a king size bed like a week's worth of fevers and "keep you up through the night" coughs that bring all the babies (and the puppy) into your bed. Anything so that maybe someone can get some sleep. This was at 3 am as I stood there trying to figure out where I should go sleep.
And the winner of the never ending virus goes to...RSV. Considering the severity of the virus, I'm thankful we made it through to the other side without any hospital visits. When I learned all the details and the potential affects of the virus, I realized we didn't have it that rough after all.
When your sisters go to bed at 5:45 because they are sick and can't keep their eyes open, middle sister eats it up! It's her time and she knows it!
...glimpses of spring days- When it's February and you can play with chalk on the front steps!! We are excited for Spring!
Look at all these natural waves!
Our friends have a precious little girl with special needs who we adore. As we have done life together, our girls have met Brinley's nurses and observed the ways people take care of and love on her. Now, Abby and Ella play nurse with their babies. This is Annie hooked up to her breathing machine like Brinley. I love the way God is growing our girls' hearts as they learn about the unique stories God has written for each of us.
You guys, I can't make this stuff up. I walked into the living room after putting Juliet down for a nap and found this guy like this.
...new discoveries- Ella doesn't like eggs. For the record, this has made finding healthy protein rich kid breakfasts way more challenging. She hasn't touched an egg since she was six months old. We had her tested for an egg allergy and the test was inconclusive, but she has refused to touch eggs ever since. Then...wait for it... I hard boiled a bunch of eggs the other day and Ella asked if she could try one. She liked it! :) Victory!
