Mickey Mouse

I drew this picture of Mickey Mouse.

I used a cup and plate to make the circles and added the face, arms, legs, and a hat.

After drawing it, I wanted to share it with everyone, particularly her grandma and gramps so here it is.

Templeton & Charlotte

S loves her new pets. Above is S with Charlotte. Below is all of us girls with Templeton. And for the record, the house is now even... 3 girls and 3 boys.

Merry Christmas Everyone

We all hope everyone enjoyed a very wonderful day.

Not Even a Mouse (but maybe a rat?)

The big Christmas gift this year is going to be a pet. Yes, no kidding, I agreed to get a pet.

I'm surprised by how excited I am about it. I found a breeder online and had to apply to adopt a pair of them, and was quite taken aback by how thrilled I was when I was approved for the adoption.

We just picked up the cage and some bedding. We ordered food from the breeder (for consistency). I think we're ready.

This morning, we added Timeless Romance and Carry That Weight to our family.

Yes, they are rats.

The first thing I will be working on is teaching them to come to their names and training them to use a litter box. We'll see how good I am at it.

Love Ya

I love my sister. I like to have what she has and do what she does. Most of the time, she likes me imitating her.
I love my cousin. I watch very closely as he flips himself over the side of the jungle gym or tries to climb up the steep slide. Someday I'll be tall enough to do the same.

I love babies, both real and pretend. I love waving 'hi' and giving them wet kisses. I recently started wrapping baby dolls in blankets and rocking them (just like my sister).

I love strangers. I am very attentive to everything happening around me. When caught staring, I give a sheepish smile and hide a little. But I love the attention and cooing I generally get.

It is good to be such a happy kid

Bookish

Here it is after Thanksgiving, but I don't have the festive photos uploaded yet so instead I'm going to post a few photos from over the summer, all exhibiting a rather literary theme.

These girls love to read. S still has us read her the same book over and over until she has the entire story memorized. At the time, we always found this rather humorous, and then annoying. Now we are starting to see the benefits. She can now recount entire books for her sister, keeping them both entertained without our involvement.

Much of this is due to M's evening routine. He ensures that the girls are read to each night. More books and more stories are a reward for helpfulness and good behavior.

S's favorite is a book about dinosaurs while A prefers Tumble Bumble.

I do more story telling. It all started when on the way to school I told them the story of Stone Soup. Shortly thereafter, S asked me to "tell me another story." While making beds I recount the story of the three little pigs. While folding laundry I describe what I can remember of the story of Cinderella.

Unfortunately, I'm also running out of stories. I'd like to continue telling stories that I can turn into a lesson of some sort. Aesop's tales seem a natural fit, but I don't know many of them.

Someone from work suggested that I could also tell stories from the ancient Greeks and Romans. With that in mind, I'm sure there are innumerable ancient stories I could retell. How the world resides on the back of a turtle or how the zebra got his stripes. Now I just have to find the time to read and refresh my memory.

Halloween - a Spooky Return

What better time to return to the blogosphere than for Halloween. Among the spooks and zombies; among the princesses and heros; my two girls wandered as a kitty cat and a lady bug.

S picked out her costume herself. She even picked out the fabric. I picked out the sewing machine and had a ball putting it all together. If you look closely at the belly and the inside of the ears, you can see stitching in the shape of butterflies (S chose the stitching once I decided that I had to experiment with some of the embroidery capabilities of the machine).

On the other hand, A had no say about her costume. In fact, it took some distraction to keep her from ripping off the wings and pulling on the anteni, but for the most part the costumes stayed on.

Both girls (and mom and dad) all had a fantastic time going house to house.

Canoe Trip

We went on another canoe trip today. It was our second trip as a big family of four. I was very excited when we found the family of three swans. S fed them bread and I challenged mom and dad's balancing skills by dancing in the boat.

Just as we turned back, though, I decided I was very tired. It took a while to get comfortable since neither my nor mom's life jackets are designed for snuggling. Eventually, though, I fell deep asleep and mom laid me down at the bottom of the boat.

I guess I missed seeing the dozen turtles sunbathing on the logs. S thought it was a blast, but I needed the rest.

Once we all returned home, S and I took a "bath" in the wading pool and S just laid down for her nap. Mom and dad thought I was going to take another nap too. Boy were they wrong.

Corn Maze

For our Labor Day Sunday we went to the Corn Maze. Yesterday A was up until 11pm and I was up until almost 1am so we were both very tired. A rode in the stroller and I spent most of my time on mom or dad's hip.

It was pretty fun still, though. I kept track of where we were in the maze and dad put me in charge of finding the final route out.

But more important than the maze was getting back to the goats so I could feed them. They looked very hungry and I had to buy a fair amount of goat food to make sure they were properly tended to.
The photo is of me with my famous "funny face" and A attempting to imitate me. She's learning a lot of my tricks pretty quickly, but she still needs to work on that funny face some.

Like Sister Like Sister

Let's see, there is so much to say and I can't think of anything. Needless to say, the girls are both growing quickly. A loves imitating her sister and S loves bossing the younger around. Both will be moving into new rooms at the daycare on Tuesday which will bring about a number of changes for them.

I'm loving being a mom. At any moment, I have two beautiful children who want nothing less than to spend as much time as possible with me.

Quiet Summer

Actually, it is anything but a quiet summer. Between a first birthday, canoeing up the creek, visiting numerous friends, and swimming as often as possible the entire family is very busy.

But I hope to get back to blogging regularly this month.

Wild Animal Park

Our yard is a wild animal park. I went outside with dad last Saturday and was running around in my standard high-energy way. Suddenly I rounded the corner of the house and found this turtle in the grass!

I bolted back to tell dad. I'm not sure he believed me, though. He took his time coming over to the front yard as I quickly collected my gloves, my bucket, and opened the door to the house to yell at mom telling her to come quick and bring the camera.

But I was right. There was a turtle visiting us! Dad decided he must have come from the retention pond and become lost. We offered him to a neighbor who has a small decorative pond in his yard but he turned us down, so after a lengthy play-time, we brought him back to the pond.

At first we set him down about 10 yards away from the water but dad decided the weeds looked free of poison ivy so we brought him down right next to the water's edge. We briefly discussed the size of the pond and some lilies growing on the other side and looked back down to say good-bye to the turtle. He had disappeared!

Mom said that I was a very good zookeeper. She said she could tell because obviously the turtle was very happy that I brought him back home.

Vocabulary

My current vocabulary consists of:

• Dada: used interchangeably for either parent
  
• Mamamamama: a favorite babble word
• Uh ohhhhh: often stated just before tossing my sippy cup over the side of the high chair
• Aeee Ouuuu: said both as I hand you an toy and as you hand the toy back to me
• Uuu P: not said often, but when articulated that means exactly what you think it should mean

Words I also know include

• Foot: which causes me to thrust my foot into your face
  
• Hand: which results in a similar appendage thrust
• Fingers: during which I expect you to tickle my fingers
• Nose: which results in my finger smearing your glasses as I try to point to the middle of your face
  
• Steamroller: which causes me to immediately start giggling uproariously and crawling away from dad as he come chasing after me
  

Spring Walking

I'm continuing to practice my walking and balancing. I'm very good at walking while holding onto one hand. Sometimes I hold onto my sister's hand, although generally it is either mom's or dad's. But I can push myself up to a standing position from the middle of the room and when I'm taking my time I can walk across an entire room pretty consistently.

One of my other favorite games is what mom calls the "sharing game." I hand you something and you say 'Thank-you.' Then you hand it back and I say, 'Aee Whooo.'

Gardening

After two years of neglect, the entire family is working hard at improving the gardens. We spent a lot of time weeding, planting new flowers, and adding annuals. Now we have a variety of colorful gardens that are mostly weed free... and we have the reason for all the time spent with frogs and other animals.

Sofia and Toad are Friends

I had a toady last few days. On Saturday, dad found me the toad I have in my hands in this photo. On Monday I found a toad in the playground at school. Yesterday we found another toad in the garden at home. And I love them all.

Walking more than Crawling

I'm so intent on being able to walk that I just spent a weekend on 2 feet more than crawling on the floor.

Most of that time is spent scooting along the furniture or holding onto someone's hand, but I am working hard at spending more and more time pushing off and taking those 3 to 5 steps on my own.

I can do it!

Happy Family

A is trying to walk on her own. With all the recent gardening activities, S has decided that being a horticulturist is even better than being a zoo keeper. M and W are just enjoying being parents to two beautiful girls.

Parade

Just further proof that I love to wave. Here I am in the big parade for my daycare flanked by two scowling boys and I spent the whole ride waving and smiling.

Life is good.

Walk and Wave

My favorite activities are walking and waving.

I have a beautiful princess wave that I share with anyone glancing at my direction.

I also still love practicing my walking skills. Mom pulled out the push-hippo toy and I now spend as much time as I can performing laps across the living room or kitchen. The only downside is that I depend on someone else turning the hippo around, and often my assistant tires of the activity before I do.

Young Biker

I love my new bike. I love my knee and elbow guards too, but I love my bike.

Every Friday at school is bike day and I spend all my time outside biking around and around the bike circle. Over the weekend, mom let me bike all the way around the block twice! Then later that day dad let me bike around and around the cul-de-sac. Although I kept saying "my knees are going to be sooo sore." and the air was pretty chilly, I still didn't want to come inside.

Biking is sooo fun.

First Steps

I took two steps all by myself today.

I'm ready to go.

I just need a little more work on my balance.

Mother's Day Musings

Yesterday prompted me to continue thinking about motherhood. I was up for over an hour and still didn't eat any breakfast. I was hungry, tired, and fighting back a little crankiness.

I poured S some Chex for breakfast when she decided she wanted some Cheerios too.

"Not in this bowl mommy!"

"Really? I can put them side by side and then you can eat them separately if you like."

"No. I need a different bowl."

So out comes a new bowl. Hay, I still don't have one bowl of cereal, let alone two different of two different kinds. "This one isn't blue!!" (yes, the obsession with that color continues).

"You're right, but purple is a mix of blue and red." Counter block.

"Pour some more."

"Finish that and you can have some more." Can I please now eat something myself??

A starts asking to nurse. I sit down at the table by S and start to feed A figuring I can wait another 10 minutes. After all, everyone seems to be content and I'd like to enjoy the moment.

Until I look over and see S pouring the complete contents of her purple cereal bowl directly on top of her blue cereal bowl. Cheerios now blanket the Chex and I close my eyes, hold my breath for a moment, and suppress the internal scream.

Logically, I recognize that I'm over reacting and that one small, but unnecessary, request is not worth the drama... but it was a straw on that camel.

Which brings me to my musing...

I look at my beautiful daughters and they are oblivious to so much. I explain what I can and simplify a lot and laugh as I think about all that they think they know. What do I do now that my mom watches and laughs at? What does she try to explain to me but I can't yet grasp? What does she watch and simply think, "someday she'll realize..."

Really, what is the difference between 3, 13, and 30?

Thank-you mom for every time you stifled your own needs and took care of me first.

Stood Up

I stood up today all by myself. It was just for a moment, but I did it!

Easter

We had a great Easter. It all started with baskets of candy. S received lots of chocolates and jelly beans (a favorite) while A's basket was filled with milk chocolate chips.

Then we dressed up in pretty spring outfits complete with stockings and "church shoes" that click across the floor as you walk.

Church was pretty interested. S really wanted to see the organ but was able to watch a trumpet player instead. A slept through the first half and enjoyed the music through the second half.

We returned home to finish the hunt for eggs (we only found one before church). That bunny wasn't very tricky. I found 6 of the 7 right away. There was one hiding on top of my play kitchen that took a very long time for me to find but otherwise the bunny was easy on me.

Then we went with grandma, grandpa, our aunt, and our cousin to a brunch buffet. The food was okay. The chocolate fountain was fun. The best part, though, was the visit from the Easter bunny and playing with presents from my aunt.

Once again, A slept through most of the fun stuff. Silly baby.

Springtime

Spring has arrived. The sun is out, the days are warming up, and flowers are starting to bloom. I'm holding my first flower here, but now many more bulbs are flowering.

My sister is busy again turning over rocks and playing with bugs, worms, and any other creature that stumbles across her line of sight.

The change in seasons gives me a whole new world to explore, but I'm still not sure about the outdoors. When dad brushed my hand across the grass, I wasn't very taken with it and when I am given flowers (like the one in this photo) I immediately try to eat it (hence my mouth being open).

Da Da

Dad has reinforced the use of the phrase "da da" enough that I now say it all the time. In fact, one of the things I do while held is babble "da da" while patting the person holding me on the chest.

Dad is convinced that my first word must be "da da" but mom feels that I might not quite understand the definition of the word since I proudly pat her chest and declare "da da" too.

But I do understand words. I recognize my name and my nickname and can make the sign for both "more" and "all done." I also understand the word "no" but my standard reaction is to laugh and return to the prohibited activity.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone.

We dyed over 30 eggs and I already ate 2 of them. Yum yum! Tomorrow I get to wear a special bunny pin on my Easter dress when we go to church and then we will eat lots of wonderful and tasty foods at a big Easter brunch. It should be a very good time.

I hope everyone else is enjoying their holiday as well.

A Look-Alike Poll

I just added a poll (to the top right of the blog). Please vote as to whether you think the sisters look alike or look different (and to clarify, they can look different and yet still look like sisters). I keep changing my mind each time I look at the photos and I'm curious to know what others think.

I added a new pair of photos. S is to the right while A is below. The other posts with pairs of photos are from April 3rd and Aug 12, 2008

Please vote. This should be fun.

Dentist

I visited the dentist today. I was a little scared last night, but it was a lot of fun!

They let me touch all their toys including "Mr. Thirsty" (which sucked all the juice out of my mouth) and the buffer which they used to shine my fingernail before using on my teeth.

I chose grape for my toothpaste flavor and it tasted very good. Then I got a new toothbrush, my very own toothpaste, some floss and a pretty pink flosser, a sticker, and a squishy salamander toy.

All day I've told everyone how I was very good for the dentist and how I have pretty teeth.

The photo, by the way, is of my espresso maker (the special toy I wanted for my birthday). I guess all that coffee I've made isn't so bad for my teeth after all.

Trouble

Dad tucks me in at night. Each night he lets me choose a stuffed 'buddy' to sleep with. Some of my buddies, though, are too large or have too many odd parts. For example, I have a large Elmo that lounges, but is too large for me to sleep with at night.

Tonight I was feeling particularly precocious. When dad asked what buddy I wanted to sleep with I asked, "Can I sleep with Elmo?"

"No, you cannot sleep with Elmo."

I picked up my yellow duck (an old stand-by) and stated, "This is Elmo. Can I sleep with Elmo?"

He said "Yes, you can sleep with your duck."

"Can I sleep with Elmo?" I repeated holding up the duck.

With a smile, he said, "Yes, you can sleep with Elmo."

Ah, just the words I was waiting for. I grabbed my big Elmo and climbed into bed.

In the end, I fell asleep holding my green and white puppy dog, but it was worth a try.

Melted Snow

These photos are from Feb 17th, one of the first warm days we had. Since then the last brave ice fishermen packed up, the crocuses bloomed and now that they are past prime the hyacinth are starting to flower. The tulips are growing taller and the weeping cherry is starting to bud leaves.

Through all of this, the mountain of snow kept clinging onto it's own frozen core, refusing to allow the sun to beat it back. Last night as we all settled into bed, a small patch remained watching over our houses.
The light spring showers that rained all night finally melted all that remained. Spring must be here.

Look Alikes? No More?

A few months ago, all we heard was about how much we look like each other. Recently, though, the frequency of such comments has dropped significantly. All of us have heard far less comments about how much we look alike. It still comes up on occasion, but not as much.

Perhaps people have finally tired of making the comment. Perhaps we are numb to it and no longer hear it. Perhaps we are starting to look like separate individuals.

Mom thought it was about time to compare a couple of photos. So for all of you curious folk, here are two photos of us girls taken within a couple of days of eight an a half months of age.

What do you think? Do we still look alike?

(By the way, the top is A and the bottom is S)

Big Girl Bath

I love bathing in the big girl tub. At this point I've graduated out of the infant tub entirely and spend bath time crawling after various toys. Of course, I also still love to splash my mom.

Family Challenges

So, I should probably provide some more down-to-earth perspective on our happy home. Alaura is crawling and now M and I are working on determining how best to explain that although many of these toys are S's, A can play with them too.

Right now my approach is that most things that belong to anyone in the family may belong to one person, but families share things. After all, that is "dad's chair" at the dinning room table but we can all use it if we want. That is "mom's colored pencils" but we can all color with them. And those are "Sofia's toys" but we can all take turns. There are a few things that each person has the final say over (mom's jewelry box, dad's pocket knife, and some special toys), but most things are shared.

Yeah right.

If anyone has any good suggestions or better approaches, please let me know.