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.

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."