Dress Up

The girls are just starting to get into playing dress-up. The only things we have so far are a couple of tutus, some shoes, and a fairy wand. I have them in the bottom drawer so they can easily get to them. Amelia really likes putting on her tutu.

Allison has some Sesame Street sweatshirts that have been handed down from my sister's kids that she really likes. She wanted Amelia to wear one too, so she gave her Grover (no surprise there). They looked so cute in their hooded sweatshirts.

Ernie and his buddies are hiding in fear that they too may end up on a shirt. For some reason Big Bird really looks nervous.

I guess Big Bird had good reason to be nervous...

Happy Valentine's Day

I had to work on Valentine's Day so we celebrated on Saturday. In the morning I took the girls to the Meijer Gardens. After that, I picked up our daycare provider's daugthers to babysit the girls for the afternoon. Allison thought it was so cool that they were coming to her house to play with her. She had the biggest grin on her face on the drive back to our house.

Brian and I went to lunch at Yesterdogs. Not the most romantic place, but it has been ages since we have both been there. Their dogs are really messy, so it is not exactly a place I want to bring the girls yet since I don't want to deal with two toddlers while I have chili sauce running down my hands. After lunch, we went shopping and ran some errands. It was nice being able to get in and out of the car quickly without worrying about getting the girls in and out of their car seats.

After we came home, we had our "party" with the girls. Throwing a party for a two and a half year old is really easy - all you have to do is have a few little things out of the ordinary, tell her we are having a party and add a "whoo hoo" at the end of the sentence, and you are good to go.

Allison was super excited that we had Valentine decorations and that we used paper plates for dinner. For some reason she was really excited about that.


Amelia was excited about the fresh fruit we bought that afternoon.


After dinner, we opened our Valentines. The girls were excited to open their mail. They were fascinated with the cards their cousins made them.

After the cards, we opened the presents. Just before Christmas I found some awesome deals for toys on Amazon, so we had a stock pile of gifts in storage. We figured it would be a good time to give them some of these toys. Allison received a Tag Jr. set and Amelia received a baby doll.

You can't have a party without cake, can you? I highly recommend the red velvet cake from Meijer. The cake is only $5.99 this month. Amelia wasn't willing to pose for a picture. All she wanted to do was dig into the cake, so we had to get a little creative for the pictures.

Overall Allison gave the party, a 2-Heart rating.

Amelia's First Hair Cut

Amelia has been in desperate need of a haircut for a few weeks now. We held off because she gave herself a black eye and then a week later, she got another bruise along her temple. We figured the long bangs covered the bruises. However, after her third bruise on her forehead, we realized we could be waiting an eternity if we waited until she was free and clear of bruises.


A week ago Sunday, I couldn't take it anymore so I decided that it was the day to take the plunge and cut her hair. Brian decided to save money and thought that we (e.g. he) could give her a trim, so we purchased some hair cutting shears.

This was after a few snips. You can see the bruise on her forehead.

Brian, the hairdresser, trying to trim the hair off a moving target. Next time, if we attempt to do this at home again, we will put Dora on for her to watch.

The final product...bangs just a "little" crooked.

Allison was feeling a little left out so she wanted her hair cut too. Brian took one snip and she said "Ow!" (she also says this when I cut her fingernails, so I know it really didn't hurt her) and hopped down from the chair. I don't think this "haircut" will go down in her baby book as a "first haircut."

Spaghetti Night

A few weeks ago we had some friends over for Spaghetti Fest '10. Guess who enjoyed Spaghetti Fest the most?

Time for Bed

Brian and I enjoy the girls' bedtime routine. It is a nice opportunity to spend time with the girls. On bath night, we start baths around 6:30 pm so we can get downstairs in time for Dora on Nick Jr. During Dora, the girls get a little snack. The past few nights it has been chocolate chip cookies that Allison and I made, but prior to that I was starting to give them some fruit. For some reason Allison is much more willing to eat fruit during Dora.

After Dora ends, Allison turns off the TV and we head upstairs. Amelia is always so excited to see the gate open, she loves climbing the stairs and by the end of the day, she is ready for bed.

First we tuck Amelia in. Ever since we dropped her morning nap, she is usually pretty beat by the end of the night. We usually can only get one book in before she starts to fuss. Mia is a very happy girl when we put her in her bed and she can relax.

Grover? Check!, Blanket? Check!, 2nd Blanket? Check! 3rd Blanket? Check!

Allison will usually climb into Mia's crib for night time prayers. We have a prayer lamb that recites our bedtime prayer and then we say "God Bless Allison, God Bless Amelia" and go through the whole family. We usually will pat their heads when we say their name, so now Amelia will pat my and Brian's head during the prayer.

After Amelia goes to bed, we have some quiet time with Allison. We have a tea party at her table, where she hands out dessert to Brian and I. She also likes to play with her toaster and microwave a few times.

Chocolate dessert? For Mom! Pretty Pink Dessert? For Me! Crappy Coconut Dessert? For Dad!

After our tea party, we read a book or two and then put Allison to bed. Usually at this time I leave the room and Allison and Dad go through their special bedtime ritual where Brian goes through the initials of her name and tells her a special story.

On nights that I am really tired and want nothing more to rush through bedtime so I can relax on the couch, I have to remind myself how special this time is and that I can't take it for granted. Brian and I are very blessed that we get to wrap up our day in this special way.