Sunday, March 25, 2012

Where Does the Time Go?

<UPDATE: I just realized that no sound is associate with my movie! I set the video to songs - GOOD songs! - and YouTube says it is violating copyright laws. UGH! I hate laws! I am disputing it BUT I will likely lose and will possibly lose my YouTube Account...so make sure you watch this video soon!>

A few days post the 18 month milestone and Charlotte's first year video is finally complete! I cry every time I watch it. It goes by so fast...even more so knowing that there won't be anymore first smiles or first steps to capture. She truly is an angel and I am grateful beyond words that I was able to catch all these moments not only with my own eyes but with my camera as well! Without further ado, Charlotte's First Year....


Warning: The video is 30 minutes long....I got carried away AND I believe it will redirect you to YouTube to watch it. Enjoy!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Under the Weather

It nearly every part of the country it is hot...like tropical weather hot. 
Not here.
It is windy and cold and rainy and cloudy. And WINDY!
So while we've been dealing with spring - my least favorite month (I know blasphemy!) - we've also been dealing with two sick girls. Runny noses. Short tempers. Restless sleeps.
A quick trip to the grocery store yesterday afternoon was just too much Grace.


Shopping with only one awake child was a breeze! I felt light as a feather! You can imagine the looks I got as I flew across the store knocking things off my list. heheh 

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Top o' Da Mornin' To Ya

My how things have changed. I used to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Irish car bombs and mass amounts of Harp. But that was a lifetime ago. 

These days it goes a little something like this...


Up before dawn to make sure that little bugger the leprechaun came for a visit!




Ah there he is! Right next to the much needed coffee! 
{Pause for quick coffee break!}

Once the scene was set...

it was time to wait for the girls to wake up!



Grace's first reaction to the breakfast display, "Look Mommy it's Halloween!"
Hmmm...not quite.
Moments later..."Look Mommy, Elfie came!"
Nope. Not quite.
But close!
A little leprechaun friend, the same guy who plants pots of gold at the end of rainbows, came to visit!


Grace and Charlotte both got their first taste of sweet cereal - Lucky Charms. 

Grace was much more into the donuts.

Charlotte - on the other hand - meticulously picked out all the marshmallows! So funny!
(That's what I used to do when I was a kid!)


"What?!"

She too loved the donuts..double fistin'!

The good ole leprechaun, aside from bringing Lucky Charms and green milk, brought a few SMALL gifts. A little rubber ducky for the bath tub and gold coins!
(Not sure if you noticed the rainbows in the back of all the pictures. We made them a few weeks ago and so in the girls' little pots at the end of the rainbow they found gold! It all came together!)


Of course, the gold coins were filled with chocolate so they were a big hit!


Finally, the "big" gift.


A rainbow shirt made by Mommy. 
Yes. I said made. By me! I'm full of all sorts of crafty these days!
(I found the tutorial on Pinterest. Of course, I had to change it up because I don't sew or own a sewing machine. But I'm working on both!)

I don't think Grace was impressed with my hard work!



But the shirt was fitting nonetheless....



 

 
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Hopefully, you found a little gold at the end of your rainbow today!
xoxo



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 




 

Monday, March 12, 2012

Playing Tourist

Arrived home from a very quick trip to Seattle last night. We went over to host a baby shower for our dear friends - hopefully pictures to come...my camera is officially dead...it was dying a slow, painful death but alas it has come to a bitter {expensive} end. UGH!

Before I rolled out of Seattle with the girls to head home...Court stayed on for work...we decided to play tourist and hit up the Space Needle.


For the record, Grace thinks the gem of the Seattle skyline is a girl and was very excited to "sit on" the space needle. Fun times!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Toothache

So I got the oh-so-cool night guard last week in hopes of making my aching tooth feel better. Guess what? It doesn't work. In fact, it has made things worse.

Driving home from working at Grace's school today, I just couldn't take it anymore and called the dentist's office. They were very accommodating. They could get me in to see the doctor in an hour. An hour? That's great and I but how am I supposed to find someone to watch my kids on that short of notice.

No fear she said. Bring the kids with you! Ugh...bring the who with me where?

So yep...I brought both girls with me to the dentist's office and I was sweating bullets thinking that this was  the worst idea ever...but that should put in perspective just how badly my tooth was aching.

So we arrive with snacks, iPad, books...everything but sippy cups full of water. Mind you, I got home at noon, appointment was at one, Charlotte needed to be cleaned up a bit and lunch needed to be prepared, eaten and cleaned up in that short time span so I was a bit frazzled getting us pulled together. And, of course, what did both girls want when we parked it in the waiting room at the dentist's office?

Water.

Luckily, the dentist was ready for us so back we all went to the room. I needed x-rays so the girls couldn't be in the room when all this happened and after Grace's meltdown at ballet I was pretty nervous at the fact that a stranger, dressed in scrubs from head-to-toe with a mask and googles, was going to successfully take Grace into another room without some kind of scene. Charlotte and to my utter, draw-dropping surprise, Grace, both skipped off with the masked stranger and never looked back.

Ten minutes later, the girls were back. And I quickly learned why all went so well. Balloons. The office had given each girl a balloon and that made them ecstatic. Ahhh yes, when in doubt....bribery!

Finally, after some hee-hawing over my x-ray, the dentist needed to get in my mouth and take a look around. So I laid back in the chair as both girls stood in the corner of the room with their balloons.

As soon as the dentist put his little mirror in my mouth, my sweet little baby Charlotte lost it. She kept screaming "Mommy, Mommy Mommy!" We quickly scooped her up and placed her on my stomach - with her balloon in hand - so the examination could continue. Then Grace wanted to be in the action so we put her on a swivel chair and wheeled her up close. The dentist was beyond patient.

After all the poking and prodding, they still don't know what is wrong. I am going back to the endodontist on Thursday - without the girls - for some other tests. I can't begin to explain how much my tooth hurts at this very moment. Throbbing. Throbbing. Throbbing. Like a heartbeat of throbbing. I don't know how I am going to sleep tonight.

But before I attempt a "good night" one more quick thing I forgot to mention. While I was in the chair, upside down, with Charlotte on my lap and Grace at my side, Grace kept stroking my arm, hand and face. She told me "everything is going to be ok Mommy. Take your time. I'll be right here."

It was darling and it did make me feel better. 

Monday, March 5, 2012

I Just Wanna Stay Home

Last week, I checked out a new gym. I had both girls with me so I decided to show them the child care area. It was REALLY clean awesome! Charlotte had to be pried away from all the smiling strangers ready, willing and able to to play with her. Grace on the other had was a bit skeptical. She only wanted to play if "Mommy comes too!"

I explained that if we were to come here all together Grace and Charlotte would enter the play area and Mommy would be in that big room over there full of all the death machines. 

"I want to come with Mommy!"

No, they don't let big girls in that room. Just Mommies....so do you want to come hang out here with Charlotte?

"Mmmmmm....No, I just wanna stay home."

What?!? Are you like 72 years old? 

Fast forward to today. Dress and ready Grace for ballet. Wake Charlotte UP from her nap!! {DISLIKE!} Brave an epic wind storm to get to the dance studio on time. Miss Nicole asks all her ballerinas to join her on the floor....

Tears. Epic. Massive tears. We huddled in the corner and watched for a few minutes to see if she would warm up to the idea. Nope.

Then I tried dragging her out there and handing her off to Miss Nicole. Major fail.

Then we did another family huddle in the back room...all while Charlotte is crawling and kicking and karate-chop-kung-fuing her way out of my arms to go out with the ballerinas.

No amount of convincing or bribing could change Grace's mind. Noticing that we were bothering the other parents and students, I piled the girls and headed home.

MAJOR FAIL.

Grace, what's the matter? Don't you want to dance with all the girls?

Through tears and sobs and hiccups....No I just wanna stay home. 

Oh. My. You are your mother's daughter. 

*Auntie Molly will REALLY appreciate this post! ;) 

Thursday, March 1, 2012

A Quick Update So I Don't Forget

Yesterday was Charlotte's second "trial" of gymnastics. While she isn't technically able to start until she is 18 months old which she will be at the end of March, I fibbed and reported that indeed Charlotte was 18 months!! I had too!  I just couldn't see spending an hour of my life chasing around after Charlotte as she bobbed, weaved and darted out onto the gymnastics floor to join Grace's class. It wasn't fun for her. It definitely wasn't fun for me. So now while Grace is in "big girl" gymnastics, Charlotte is enrolled in "baby" gymnastics. She has two classes under her belt now and let me tell you...she HATES waiting in line for her turn! When the coach FINALLY says it's Charlotte's turn, Charlotte hops right up there, no hesitation, just BIG smiles and does whatever she is supposed to do. But when it's time to sit back down for the other kids to take their turn all hell breaks lose! Remember how I mentioned that she darted and weaved to get to Grace's class, well she's still doing that but now she's just trying to cut in line! I think I leave gymnastics more winded than either Grace and Charlotte after all the chasing I do!!

In other news, Grace is now using the toilet and not the potty...a HUGE milestone if you ask me!! And she has started going through nap time without a pull-up. Progress people. Progress!

Charlotte said I love you for the first time a few days ago. It was prompted...meaning I told her to say it...but she said it nonetheless! Grace, on the other hand, told me that she loves Daddy - not Mommy - and then proceeded to bust out in endless giggles! And so it begins!!

While Grace has been a bit of a stinker when it comes to mommy relations this week, she's been good as gold with Charlotte. At nap time, she brings Charlotte's favorite toys and puts them in bed while hugging and kissing Charlotte "good night."

Grace has memorized several of her favorite books and I often find both girls in Grace's bed "reading." These little scenes are often too tender and too quick to capture on camera. Hopefully, by capturing them here on the blog it will allow me to look back and "remember" all of these precious moments one day long in the future.

Mid-post...Charlotte woke up from her nap. As we were coming down the stairs, she said onnne when she took her first step and twooo when she took her second. woo hoo!

As for me, I have had a toothache for almost a solid year now. About six months ago, I got a root canal in order to fix the problem. Guess what? Tooth still hurts!! Not sure how that is possible since all the nerves in the tooth were removed. Regardless, I have spent far too many hours at the dentist this past year. I was back in the chair this morning getting fitted for a night guard. The new theory is that I am clenching my jaws while I sleep irritating my jaw/teeth creating this miserable aching sensation. So now I have to wear this ginormous mouthguard at night much like what a boxer wears during a match. UGH! I feel like I am 13 all over again and have to wear a retainer or worse a head gear. Fingers crossed that this monstrosity is the solution to my troubles.

Ok both girls are up and at em! I am back on duty. Until next time...