A Simple Solution

For three bath times in a row, Amelia has "wrecked havoc" in the bathwater, resulting in bath times cut rather short. After the third time, we ended up washing the girls' hair in the bathroom sink because they desperately needed their hair washed. The next bath time, the girls were so dirty and sticky after dinner, that we did baths at 6pm, leaving plenty of time before Dora started. I wanted the girls to be able to take their time and play in the tub, however I didn't quite trust Amelia. So, I decided an easy solution was to put Mia in a "swimmy diaper" for her bath. It may not look pretty but it sure solved the problem!

EDIT - I wrote this post last week but didn't post it right away. Since then she has wrecked havoc twice again - one with a swimmy and once without. Needless to say we are going to use the swimmy diapers for a while longer.

You Can't Get Us

Last week we were playing with the girls before bedtime and Brian was chasing after the kids. Amelia thought it would be smart to hide behind Allison's crib...and Allison followed suit, nearly knocking Amelia out of the way.

Brian would wait until they poked their heads out and would "roar" at them, telling the girls he was going to get them. They thought it was the funniest thing.

We Did It!!!

Allison LOVES Dora...Allison LOVES to dance to the closing song. Check it out. This was taken a few months ago. She still continues to dance at the end, but we haven't been able to get it on camera again because she always catches us taping her.

Leave It!

A few months ago Brian showed Allison a trick that Ozzie does where you place a bone on his nose, snap your fingers, and he catches the bone. There was a period of time since that day that Allison always wanted to do the same thing with him. Poor Ozzie could never just get a treat without working for it.

Amelia

Photo by 87 Orange Photography

Age: 15 months

Height: 30 inches

Weight: 24 lbs and 9 ounces

Personality Traits: easygoing (until she gets mad and then watch out); goofy - she even cracks herself up; always on the go; daredevil (she will be the cause of our first trip to the ER); and cuddly - she really likes to snuggle and give hugs.

Gets in Trouble for: So Much! Playing with the dog's water dish, trying to sneak into the bathroom in order to play with the toilet, running for the stairs if the gate is open, trying to climb on the furniture, and picking on her sister.

When she gets in trouble: She screams and gets spaghetti limbs. She won't stand or sit up - she goes limp. She will also at times try to throw herself to the ground.

BFFs: Allison, Mom and Dad, and her Grover Doll - Some days I think Grover is at the top of the list.

Likes: Amelia likes to dance, play with her Little People figurines and mail truck, look at books, dump the bath letters out of its bucket and put them back in, and cuddle with Ozzie.

Loves: Cuddling with stuffed animals (especially Grover) and her blankets.

Dislikes: Teething! Having Allison take whatever book or toy that she is currently holding.

Favorite Foods: Spaghetti, Mac and Cheese, fruit, snacks of most kinds. She is finally getting picky about some foods.

Cute things she has done: She still is not completely stable on her feet yet, so sometimes when she walks, she looks like ET. When we go outside and if it is cold, she makes a funny face. She will scrunch it up and then start to laugh. After her nap, she will play by herself for a while in her crib - the other day I heard her growling at herself and then she would laugh.

Latest Accomplisments - Walking since Thanksgiving - she is now trying to "run."

Allison

Photo by 87 Orange Photography

Age: 2.5 years old

Height: 34 inches

Weight: 27 lb and 2 ounces

Personality Traits: caring; protective - especially of Mia; serious when you first meet her but a total goofball once she knows you; and Mother's little helper. She wants to do right (most of the time). A simple "Do you want to sit in time out?" works wonders; 75% of the time she is in time out is because she put herself there. 90% of those times I wouldn't even consider the infraction serious enough to put her in time out.

Gets in trouble for: When she does get in trouble it is usually for taking things away from Amelia; the other times it is for throwing things when she is upset.

When she gets angry: She slams the doors and pouts (a prequel to her teenage years).

BFFs: Amelia, Mom and Dad, and friends at daycare.

Likes: To do puzzles, look at her books, playdough, play with her cash register and kitchen, and likes the train-table at Barnes and Nobles.

Loves: Loves all things Dora.

Dislikes: Picking up toys and being told that she can't watch TV anymore.

Favorite Foods: Spaghetti, chicken nuggets with Ranch dressing, veggie straws, goldfish crackers, and bell peppers (she competes with Ozzie to get them when Mom is cutting them up for dinner).

Cute things she does: When Dad leaves for work in the morning and gives her a kiss, she immediately tells him to kiss Amelia and Mom too - she doesn't rest until it happens. She dances like crazy to the "We Did It" dance at the end of Dora - her arms swing back and forth like crazy (she also likes to sing & dance along to the songs in Blues Clues).

Latest accomplishments - Has been fully potty-trained for almost two months.

Outtakes

Here are a few photos that didn't make the blog or picture album but did make the bloopers reel.

This was the best we got when trying to take a picture of the girls together on Christmas Eve.

The Santa Christmas Cookie picture - This was about as easy as taking a picture of Ozzie with a plate full of bones would be. Luckily, once I separated the two I was able to get a good photo.

Allison didn't look too happy with me taking her picture.

Allison showing her "love" to Amelia.

Allison sharing a sisterly love pat.

Never interrupt an artist hard at work.

SUCKER!

This weekend I was in the kitchen washing dishes when Allison came in with one of the balls for her "Gumball Machine" toy. The balls are clear and have something in them like a teddy bear or diamond ring. She was intently looking at the ball, like she was studying it. When she handed me the ball, I knew exactly what she was up to. I asked Allison what was inside the ball, "was it a sucker?" She gave me this surprised look and held out her hand, like "A sucker? Well since you asked, sure I will take one." I told her "good try kid, this mom isn't a sucker".

Happy New Years!

For New Years Eve, we had our own little party. Brian had to work in the morning, so Allison and I passed the time by decorating the house for the festivities. She helped me by coloring the banner, making streamer wands, and shredding confetti. We kicked off the evening's celebration by going out to dinner at Famous Dave's and then "driving around" (e.g. two streets) looking at Christmas lights.

After we came back, we put on our PJs and rang in the new year at 7:37 pm, 7:38 pm, 7:42 pm, and for good measure again at 7:44 pm. What can you say, throwing newspaper all over the house is lots of fun. This year our cable provider had a Santa Tracker on one of their channels. I think they should have a Count Down/Ball Drop channel that you can activate at any point during the day. That way you can celebrate the midnight hour at anytime.

After we put the kids to bed, Brian and I somehow managed to stay up until midnight. It was tough though, we were very tempted to give up around 10 pm, but we hung in there.

The party quickly came to a conclusion when the girls began their wrestling moves.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day started off bright and early, well actually for us it started a little later than normal - the girls slept in until 8 am. Because our Christmas tree is in the basement rec room, they had no idea that Santa came and left presents under the tree. We were able to get breakfast in before opening presents. Allison was shocked to see that Santa ate all the cookies that she and Amelia left him. It must have made an impression on her because she told Nana and Papa all about it later that morning.

Amelia enjoying some scrambled egg and toast.

Allison and Amelia opening a joint present, the Little People Parking Garage. Between Santa and Mom and Dad, they were very lucky. They received lots of Melissa and Doug play food for their kitchen, puzzles, puppets, and books. Allison received dress-up clothes and shoes. Amelia received the Little People airplane.

Allison and Amelia opening their stocking stuffers.

After the girls naps we headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house for dinner and gift exchanging.

Allison and Amelia thought it was funny to bang against the fireplace door and make lots of noise. This kept them entertained for a while. We had a nice night at Grandma and Grandpa's house. The girls received the Little People dollhouse from them and some books. Aunt Lynn gave Allison a mixer for her play kitchen and Dora dominoes (which she loves to play with) and Amelia received a "palm pilot." From Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Dale, Allison received Dora underwear and a magic Dora washcloth. Amelia received a stuffed bear.

The girls had fun playing with all of their toys the next few days. They were very blessed and received many wonderful presents, but most importantly they have a family that loves them very much and enjoys spending time with them.

Christmas Eve

We started off Christmas Eve day making cookies for Santa (and plenty of extras for us). Allison had a good time rolling out the dough and cutting out the cookies. She had even more fun frosting them.

After nap we headed to my parents' house, however since we weren't going to come back until later that night, we made sure we left out cookies for Santa.

Allison and Amelia had lots of fun opening up presents. Allison received a cash register, a cool princess bath towel and a lacing set from Nana and Papa. From her cousin she received a fun phone. Amelia received a bookshelf from her Nana and Papa, which is greatly appreciated as we have a ton of books. From her cousin she received a fun toy that you can hammer balls in.

Amelia loved the booster seat that Allison sat in at dinner. It was her seat while we opened presents.

Allison was fasincated by the big box that Brian and I received from my parents. She couldn't wait to see what was inside. She also likes the microwave as much as I do as she likes to press the buttons.

Every year my dad reads The Night Before Christmas. This tradition has been going on since my oldest sister was a baby. This year Allison was very into the story. She sat on her cousin's lap and listened to the whole story. Amelia....not so much.

After the story we packed up the car and prepared ourselves for a long drive. They were predicating freezing rain for that night, so we weren't sure what to expect. Luckily we didn't run into any problems. Once we came back into town you could tell that it had been freezing rain early in the evening, but we took it slow and made it back safe and sound. We put the kids to bed and prepared for another day of celebration.

A Family Chistmas Party

A few weeks ago we celebrated Christmas with my extended family. When my cousins and I were growing up we used to have a "cousin party." Several years ago my sister started up this tradition again. We have a fun time visiting and exchanging our $5 gift item, where people can steal items. We also celebrated my niece Karleigh's 18th birthday. I can't believe she is 18 already!

Mia was content sitting by her diaper bag and eating her snacks. It was nice for me because it meant that she stayed in one place and out of trouble.

The kids did their own $5 gift exchange game this year. My niece Karleigh got a kick out of Allison watching the kids play the game. She intently watched what was going on.