Christmas Catch-Up

My parents came over to our house for Christmas morning. The girls got two large gifts this year. Nana & Papa gave them this awesome table and chairs. The girls LOVE having something their size to play on, eat at, and in general act like BIG STUFF! In the top right picture, my mom was having tea with the girls. It is hilarious to watch them hold their little cups with the side handles and drink like adults!


Alex and I got the girls a kitchen for Christmas. They love opening and closing all the doors, banging on their pots and pans from their godparents, and pretending to eat all their wood food and condiments from Alex's parents! I got the kitchen half-off at a local toy store. The owner said the grill side was broken so she'd sell it for half. I called KidKraft (the company who makes this Grill N' Bake kitchen) and they sent me a new grill portion for free. Probably the best costumer service I've encountered all year!


Here's some cute photos of Addie. Clockwise from top left, she loves wearing my shoes; she insisted I take her picture one morning and with that silly grin how could I resist; my dad was fixing a light fixture and the girls thought it was endless fun to run under the ladder; and lastly Addie giving her cousin Sawyer a hug.


Here's a picture of my nephew Sawyer! It is amazing how much he has changed since we saw him this summer. He has started taking some of his first steps over Christmas and it was so fun to get to watch! We were trying to predict who would be the trouble makers and who would be the informant down the road. Andrew (my brother) predicts that Addie and Sawyer will find the mischief, and Jasmine will come tell the adults!


Alex has had all kinds of extra time to play with the girls while on vacation. Here he's trying to entertain them to give me some time to finish a freelance graphic design project I was working on. The weather was beautiful yesterday, so we also got a chance to play outside and take a walk.


And lastly, some more Daddy hair styles from bath time last night!

Ebay Can Be SCARY

As most of you probably know, I sell used women's clothing for various friends and family members on Ebay. I sell a variety of things - but one category sells way better than I would have guessed. Lingerie.... It didn't seem disturbing before yesterday. I completely understand why someone would by a used Victoria Secret bra off of Ebay for 1/4 of the $40 price tag you'd pay new. But...why would there be a bidding war for the above used underwear that ended with a male buyer paying 4X the retail value? Actually, don't think about it too long because you might come up with some of the same frightening conclusions I did...

Needless to say, I will not be putting my real return address on this package.

Shellacked Bread

My new acquisition from this weekend.

I've been at White Elephant war with my Uncle Alan for several years. The war continued this weekend. Here's a little background!

Year #1 -
The first Christmas after Alex and I got married, we went to the Haas (my mom's side) family Christmas party. We play bingo every year and get "wonderful prizes" selected by that year's host. I got a shellacked hot dog bun that had flowers and other lovely things glued to it. It had been an actual Christmas gift to my Uncle Alan and his wife from a now ex-daughter-in-law. I was practically escorted out of the house when it was time to leave because they wanted to make sure I didn't leave my lovely present behind! However, the bread conveniently fit into their mailbox that was at the end of a long drive not visible from their house! : )

Year #2 -
Uncle Alan got my Aunt Louise (that year's host) to wrap up the bread and wait until I won to give it just to me. We were pregnant at that time with the girls, so I thought the "special gift" was baby clothes, etc...ah no...it was that darn piece of bread again! And - I couldn't leave it in the mailbox because it wasn't Alan's house.

Year #3 -
We didn't attend the party because the girls were still under 1 and it was in St. Louis this year - too long of a drive with little ones!

Year #4 -
I had saved the bread for two years waiting to return it to its rightful owner! We brainstormed on the way up how I could get Alan stuck with it! We thought the best scenario was to hide it somewhere in the house since Alan & Maria were hosting again. My mom suggested hanging the gift bag on the shower head in their bedroom...but we couldn't figure out how to get upstairs without raising suspicion. However, the perfect opportunity arose when Maria suggested I change the girls' diapers upstairs on their bed - yes!

So I thought I was safe - since I had the bread and hid it! Wrong! They thought that I'd misplaced the bread, so they made a special LARGER loaf themselves, rigged the bingo game by writing down all the numbers on my card, and gave me an extra special gift...my mom got a nice candle! : )

Alan tried to find the bread I hid before we left - but ah ha - to no avail! I just wish I could have seen his face when he went to take a shower this morning...!

Chillin' Indoors...Because its SO COLD Outside!

Here's some photos of the girls chillin' in their pjs. Since the weather has gotten colder, the trips out off the house have lessened - meaning we don't make it out of our pajamas some days! Who wouldn't want to hang out in polar fleece all day?! I think the picture of Mina sitting back with her cup in her chair is so funny! She is watching Sesame Street and apparently quite enjoying herself.


Addie: Check this out, Jasmine, there is a button on my stomach!


Addie: Want help finding yours? I'm an expert at belly buttons since I touch mine all day long and show it undiscerning to all who will look. (We actually had to put bandaids over Addie's belly button for awhile because it was so red and irritated from all her poking and prodding of it!)


Jasmine: Anyone want to see?


This was an unexpected hilarious picture. I was trying to capture some pictures of my mom playing with the girls and the girls were so hyper it was hard to get them to stop bouncing on the bed! They were playing with my headbands and generally being silly! Addie always makes a fish face when she kisses now....I guess it is an upgrade from the open mouth kisses of a few months ago! : )

I'm am counting the days until Alex's Christmas break begins - I can't wait to have 11 straight days in a row with him! We've got so many fun things planned - movies, cookie baking, time with family, a game night, New Year's Eve with friends, and lots of rest! My main present from Alex is going to be labor (labor & delivery in July...I wish!). He's going to be painting our bedroom and some of our bedroom furniture. If I have my wits about me, I'll try and take a before and after picture!

Whew!

On Wednesday night, Alex and I went to bed thinking I was at the beginning of a miscarriage. I had one previous to the arrival of the girls, so I was familiar with some of the signs. The first time we went to the ER and that was not a pleasant experience - so we decided this time to just go to bed and see what happens - always keeping the ER as a "if we have to" option.

When I woke up around 1 a.m. - there was no bleeding - not even any signs that there had been bleeding when we went to bed. At this point, I didn't know what to think. We called my O.B. first thing in the morning and they fit me in. I heard the heartbeat of the baby and was told that everything looked okay. So we are incredibly grateful and relieved! We feel completely blessed to still have Baby #3 still alive and growing - Praise God!

12 weeks

This Wednesday marks me being 12 weeks pregnant with our third child!!! I'm SO ready for the morning sickness to cease and move into the more comfortable second trimester. Our third baby is schedule to arrive July 1st.

If we decided to go the all natural route - this baby could continue the generational tradition of birthday sharing. If he/she arrived just a few days earlier it would land on my birthday also known as Alex's birthday also known as Alex's mom Ang's birthday...wouldn't that be special! : )

We are definitely going to find out what we are having in a little over a month. If it's a boy - I can start getting rid of the ton of baby girl clothes we've been storing and if it is a girl I can get better organized and not have 0-12 month clothing in one HUGE bin!

So for any of you who were told "Mumms the word" feel free to now spread the news! : )

'Tis the Season

Here's a cute sister moment - I think they are trying to decide if they are going to get in trouble for playing with my frame or not. My mom got them these dress for Christmas - so we decided to give them a trial run at the Moms of Multiples party.


They were being so cute I took some individual pictures of them while they were playing! Addie always looks like "what are you doing...." and Jasmine just takes the opportunity to ham it up.


Ah - one of those cute Santa photos - very sweet right....and...



Not so Merry Christmas...Jasmine clearly doesn't like strange old men in costume holding her...just can't imagine why this would be frightening! : )



Here the girls are doing some modeling on our yummy kitchen floor - carpeted kitchen floor...!


"All through the house it was quiet, no one was stirring, not even a mouse...."

I was getting ready and Alex was "watching" the girls. I could tell from the back bedroom that something wasn't right since it was absolutely silent in a house with two toddlers. I asked Alex what the girls were doing and he said they were fine.... : ) Yep - they were more than fine - they were deliriously happy as they shredded an entire box of Kleenex in their playroom!

Rental House Update

After we sold our house in August, we moved into a rental house next to my dad's school. It had been vacant for a year and before that was left in not so nice condition! Alex and I didn't even go in the master bathroom for the first two months...until the molding carpet had been ripped out, rotting sub-floor replaced, and tile laid.

With the hardwork of my Dad and Alex (helping when I'm not desperate for someone else to watch the girls!), the rental has come A LONG WAY in five months. Here's a list of improvements:

1.) Garbage disposal repaired (very necessary for toddler food scraps)
2.) New carpet as of today (replacing cat pee carpet!)
3.) New tile in master bath (replacing carpet - YUCK!)
4.) New tile in main bath (also replacing carpet...not a good idea with babies who splash in the tub!)
5.) Two new windows - with three on the way
6.) New light fixtures in main bath & front room as of Saturday

Now the only other major eye sore to go is the carpet in kitchen...yeah...again...YUCK! : )

We are feeling much more at home with all the improvements - thanks Dad!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day! Ah...it is so nice to have Alex home on holiday! The girls love having extra time with him and I love having extra time to breath! : ) My brother, sister-in-law, and nephew are in town as well as some of their friends & family who are arriving today. We were going over the menu last night and whew - there is going to be a lot of food!

Things I am thankful for:

H - Honda Pilot (Our new larger vehicle!)
A - Applesauce (A food my girls will always eat - good fall back)
P - Pie (Rumor has it we will be having pecan, apple, & pumpkin)
P - Pancakes, French Toast, and all the other breakfast items Alex makes on Saturday mornings
Y - You - all my friends and family who keep me sane on a regular basis as we move through each new phase of life

T - Turkey Trot (The 5K Alex is running right now with the girls while I relax at home)
H - Hot Showers (Sometimes the only indulgence of the day)
A - Alex (My perfect mate - we are such a good fit and he's the best dad to our girls...although I'm pretty sure they'll love him more when they become teenagers!)
N - Nana & Papa (We love how our girls get weekly contact with my parents - they all get excited when they see each other and we can only imagine how this will grow over the years)
K - Kisses & Hugs (It is the best now that the girls know how to show their affection)
S - Sugar (Can't imagine life or food without it!)
G - My girls (They are so different and so amazing. They were making us laugh so hard the other night while they played in the bath - love them love them love them)
I - Imagination & the ability to create (I enjoy using my imagination as much as I enjoy the results of others' imaginations - books, movies, art, decoration, etc.)
V - Vino!
I - Icky, yucky, messy, and all the other fun words my girls are learning to say.
N - Netflix (Because seeing a movie in the theater when you have small children is nearly impossible)
G - God - thankful for the relationship He has created us to have with Him, thankful for the amazing church we have found and love, thankful for the talents He give authors to write meaningful books like "The Shack"

And some photos from this week:


Alex put the girls up in a tree yesterday....Jasmine looks cool as a cucumber here...but her real demeanor is captured below!


Can you tell who is the risk-taker and who is not!?


The girls wanted me to read them a book, but I was cooking so I told them to go read it themselves...and the clever little monkeys actually did. It was pretty funny...since they can't really read! Addie has had enough of the paparazzi and was insisting I hand over the camera.

Feeling Better

Addie and Alex are feeling much better. The picture above is actually from a few weeks ago. Alex was typing on the computer and Addie woke up from her nap. He got her up and set her down to play and went back the computer. He didn't realize for several minutes that Addie was way too quiet (she was however standing right next to him the whole time). She found my open make-up bag on the computer desk and was liberally applying mascara and concealer all over her face!


Sweet Addie.


Suspicious Jasmine.

Reading has gotten more and more fun as the girls' attention spans lengthen!

Fun with Sick Toddlers

7:00 Feed girls breakfast - which they won't eat and throw on the floor.

7:15 Addie throws up the little breakfast and milk she had.

7:45 We're in the car on the way to drop Alex off at work - Addie throws up again.

8:30 We're home again and the girls are asking for the milk they didn't finish at breakfast - give it to them

8:40 Addie throws up again

9:00-10:00 Watch Sesame Street

10:00 Get toys for the girls, shut them in our bedroom so I can take a shower in the master bathroom.

10:05 Stepping in the shower, Addie appears at the door having just thrown up all over herself.

10:07 Strip Addie, take her in the shower with me to rinse her off. Step out of shower, diaper & dress Addie step back into shower.

10:10 Hear Jasmine screaming, step back out of shower, discover Jasmine is constipated, calm her & change her.

10:15 Get dressed myself

10:30 Addie is falling asleep on me - put her down for a nap

11:00 Feed Jasmine lunch (nice that Addie is sleeping so I don't have to explain to her why she can't eat)

12:00 Put Jasmine down for a nap

12:00-12:30 Call babysitter and cancel for this afternoon, call clients and cancel appointments

12:30 Addison wakes up and goes to her highchair begging for milk....

12:35 Call the girls godmother who agrees to bring over Sprite for Addie.

1:15 Jasmine wakes up screaming because I've put her to sleep in a pack n' play in our bathroom so she won't wake up Addie.

2:00 Put in a movie and cross fingers that the girls will sit with me quietly and watch it...HAHAHA! It lasted about 2 minutes!

3:15 Put the girls down for a second nap (even though they normally take one longer nap) because they are tired, I am tired, etc! : )

Still not sure if they've fallen asleep! Amazingly this is the first time one of our girls has a sickness that involves vomiting. Normally they'll get the endless runny nose and nothing else. I had to even call my mom and ask what I could give Addie to eat/drink since we hadn't been down this road before. I guess I should just count my blessings!

Poor Addie, it hasn't been her best week. Yesterday she found a mousetrap and snapped her hand in and today she is vomiting! Less than an hour now before we get to leave and pick up reinforcements (i.e. Daddy) from work.

Halloween

To my surprise, the girls enjoyed being dressed up. I thought they'd tug mercilessly at each other's antennas and costumes, but they just got big smiles and danced around the house when I got them dressed!


Here's Jasmine showing me in the car that Addie has fallen asleep before we've even arrived at my friend's house for a Halloween party!


Here's my two with our friends two little girls. Ah - one of those classic couch pictures where all the children look uncertain but the parents think they look adorable and can't believe they are all in the same picture!

Water

The girls learned the word "water" while in Arkansas. We had a dock just in front of our rooms and the girls really enjoyed throwing rocks into the water and making splashes!

Alex decided to show the girls what a big splash looked like. He got a HUGE rock and was about to throw it in the water when Ang took this picture. Apparently, they had already figured out cause and effect - really big rock = really big splash!

Here's a picture of the splash!

Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas

For a week, we stayed at a timeshare in Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas. It was MADNESS packing the van and getting ready for the trip. Thankfully it was only a 3.5 hour drive to our destination. The girls were pretty good in the car and even better when they were bribed with suckers!


Since they couldn't bring all their toys from home, the girls improvised with some kitchen utensils!


One of Addie and Jasmine's favorite features of the timeshare was the rocking chairs on our porch. They'd wander out there and rock and look at each other and giggle and rock! Very sweet!


Alex's parents gave us LOTS of time off and took walks with the girls, played on the beach, ate tea & toast, watched cartoons, and all other things 1.5 year olds love!

Fall Festivals, Etc.

Whew! Last month flew by - so here are a flurry of posts to catch you up on all our happenings! The girls and I took Alex's parents to a local fall festival called Apple Butter Making Days. We had a great time! The girls LOVED all the junk food and action. They were on a vigilant hunt for puppies and babies - their two favorite words to say!





Here's a picture of Addie demonstrating for her Zim grandparents just how messy she can get!


We didn't let them relax for long - Ang cooking and Mitch helping Alex repair the garbage disposal!

Fashion Sense

In an attempt to display some independent decision-making, Addie decided to remove her clothing. However, she didn't get very far and came out of the back room with this little ensemble. We decided to leave it as is, and she wore her little arrangement for the rest of the morning. She did occasionally tug at it and whine...like..."this isn't how I imagined this"...but as any girl learns...the best fashions aren't always comfortable! : )


Socks are a fun game at our house. They last on little feet less than 10 minutes. Here's a picture of Alex's dad humoring Addie by putting her socks on for the umpteenth time yesterday morning!


Here's Jasmine discovering that grannies have interesting things in their purses - an area of most interesting exploration!


This picture describes Jasmine's general attitude since the Zimbabwean grandparents have arrived. She's is suspicious and clingy! With Alex's parents at the house, it is really easy to run out and leave the girls with them...however, it now seems that Jasmine fears I'm leaving every time I disappear out of sight! She insisted on being held all afternoon just so she could secure my whereabouts! I eventually left Addie at home with the grandparents and took Jasmine with when I went to get Alex from work this evening. She must have grown EXTRA weary with her hypervigilance for she fell fast asleep after 10 minutes in the car...guessing she knew I couldn't disappear since we were both buckled into the car together! : )

Straws and Slippers

Oh - how we LOVE straws and slippers. We took the girls out to eat last night and they had their first smoothies. They were a BIG HIT! In fact, I think very little of the rest of the meal was eaten. It was a bit confusing for them that they didn't need to tip the cup up...still working on that. Fortunately, the thick consistency of the smoothie helped keep the liquid in the bottom so they weren't just sucking air!

The girls also have their own slippers - elephants and duckies - which Addie the shoe fanatic loves - Jasmine of course could care less!

Only 6 more days until Grandma & Grandpa Green arrive from Zimbabwe! Yeah!

Alex's parents decided that they wanted the girls to call them "Grumpy" & "Gogo". We've been practicing with pictures of them - pointing and saying "Grumpy" & "Gogo". The girls versions were "Bumpy, Bobo, Mumpy, Momo, Dumpy, Dodo..." I think they have just now got the "G" sound. On Friday, I was hurrying them along saying, "Come on - let's go" over and over again as I tried to get them in the car. Then as we backed out of the driveway, they started chanting, "Go, Go, Go!!!" So, I think they may actually be able to say "Grumpy & Gogo" just in time!