Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Picture Wednesday

So this past weekend we went outside with the girls a little bit.  It was sunny and in the low 40's.  They LOVE going outside.  I don't know about you, but I cannot wait for spring.  I definitely think we all have a little spring fever. (And by a little spring fever, I mean A LOT).  Does it feel like February has gone on FOR flipping EVER?  Seriously.  How does the shortest month of the year always feel like the longest?  Oh yeah, because it's winter.  And we live in Ohio.

Anyway, enjoy!

Kylie and Daddy

Family pic!  (Forgive the big shadow across my face)

Kendall

Walking nicely

Uh oh....

Derailed....

So you say you want twins, huh? :)

I don't even know what set them off!

And...all good now.

Doggies

Keep trucking!

Our neighbor's truck.  That has not moved in 2+ years.  Hello WT!

Fun in the grass!

So cute...

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Learning and Growing Up

There's something new each day with these two. I've already mentioned how they're starting to learn their ABCs. Well, we found out this weekend that they know how to count too! We were all sitting down to breakfast on Sunday morning, and for some reason Kendall started counting her apple slices. She started saying "One, Two, Three..." then Kylie chimed in with "Four!", then Kendall went "Five!". Kylie then finished off with "Six!" Umm, ok. Guess they can count now! Yeah, they may have been tag-teaming, and six was as far as they got, but I was still really impressed! It amazes me how much their little brains absorb. I knew they could count to three, but six definitely took me by surprise.

Also I got this text from Rachel last week:


Whaaaa??? Kendall isn't even interested in the potty at home, but seems to be very interested at Rachel's. Her daughter (who is a month and a half older) has been using the potty for a little while now, and Kendall seems to want to follow in her footsteps. We definitely need to take advantage of this new found interest and get her on the potty at home more often.

As a funny aside, I got this text from Kevin yesterday morning. I almost died laughing:



It looks like my girls are really starting to grow up. It's definitely something amazing to watch. With all the whining and tantrum throwing we've been witness to lately, I am still so grateful for these two adorably sweet, smart little blondies.

Kendall

Kylie

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Scare You...

All of a sudden EVERYTHING scares Kylie. A few weeks ago she started crying and got freaked out when the dogs were barking (and they're ALWAYS barking, so I have no idea why this was suddenly scary). Now every time they bark or start running around, she starts crying and saying "Mull scare you!" or "Bono scare you!" (We still have not quite gotten the concept of correct pronoun usage). :)

Last week the girls were eating dinner and Kendall decided to start a screaming match (not uncommon in our house) and instead of joining in like she usually does, Kylie got scared, started crying, and kept saying "Kendall scare you!" Sigh.

Last week we also had a night where she was scared of washing her hands, and was scared of taking a bath. Both things she typically loves doing. She slipped in the bath and has not been the same since. Tonight, I think we figured it out. She is ok if she's sitting in the bath, but once we stand her up, she gets scared she's going to fall, so she starts getting upset. Then she refuses to sit back down.

I feel so bad that she's all of a sudden scared of so many things, but we're walking that fine line between comforting her and trying not to "enable" the fear. I'm just trying to reassure her that we won't let anything hurt her, and that she doesn't have to be scared of "---insert fear here". I just hope that I'm taking the right approach and am really hoping this is just a short lived phase.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Wordless Wednesday











Tuesday, February 19, 2013

21 Months

For some reason I kept wanting to title this post 19 months old. Then I keep having to remind myself...no...they're 21 months old. Where the heck has the time gone??? Seriously. It's so cliche, but it is passing so quickly. The stuff that they learn and the things that come out of their mouths continues to blow my mind every day.

Rachel (the girls' daycare provider) sang the girls a song about a groundhog right around Groundhog's Day. She was singing it again for them last week, and couldn't remember the words when she got to one part of the song. She stopped for a second and Kendall piped in and finished the line for her. She was stunned! Seriously, you tell that girl something once and she DOES.NOT.FORGET.IT. I told Kevin that we're really going to have to watch what we say to her/promise her. She is going to be one that holds us to something we told her months and months before!

The girls are getting really good with their ABCs. If you start saying the alphabet (or singing, because it really is difficult to not sing the alphabet), Kendall can usually pick up where you drop off. Kendall will say A B C F G on her own. Yesterday, she said A B C F G, Q R S...and then Kylie piped in with "T U V!" It's so funny. Kevin finished the alphabet and Kendall sang "now I know my ABCs..." These two kill me.

When Kevin was taking them to Rachel's yesterday he yawned. Kylie piped up from the backseat and said "Dada tired". Kevin said, "Yep, this is what happens when you get old!" The girls then proceeded to chant "Dada tired, Dada old!" the rest of the way to Rachel's house. LOL.

One thing that I have noticed as they are getting older is that they are getting MUCH pickier when it comes to food. Just a few months ago I would be able to give them pretty much whatever and they would clear their plates. Now it seems like they are turning up their noses to SO many things. Meat has been a big offender lately. Veggies are hit or miss. Cheese is always a winner with Kendall, but Kylie refuses it some of the time (which is especially problematic since she also doesn't drink milk. We have to try and get calcium in her in any way possible. ) Kendall does not like oranges, Kylie loves them. They both have been rejecting chicken nuggets lately (seriously, what toddler doesn't like nuggets???) Rachel actually told me that Kendall refused her entire lunch the other day, which consisted of nuggets, oranges and corn. She just drank her entire sippy of milk and was good. Kylie seems to dislike any pasta (with the exception of mac and cheese and pierogies). She especially regards spaghetti sauce with great disdain. Yogurt, PB&J (or almond butter and jelly), applesauce, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, apples, bananas, pancakes, and waffles are always hits. Everything else seems to fall into the 'eh' category. Some days it's all good. Other days it's "hell no am I eating that!" It's exhausting! Rachel even told me she thought we were going to be the lucky ones who avoided the whole picky toddler phase. Not so much!

Another new thing the girls have started doing in the past month or so is jumping. Kendall was working SO HARD at first, and could not get off the ground for the life of her. After a few days she started getting a bit of air between her feet and the ground, and now can jump really well. It is so adorable. Especially because she always has to yell "JUMP!" while jumping. Jumping in their cribs has also become a new favorite pastime. Sigh...

I have started slowly picking up a few things here and there for the girls to wear this summer. Basically because I don't want to get to April, May, June, and have to go out and spend a bunch of money in one swoop for summer clothes for them. I've noticed lately that 2T shirts are starting to get a bit short on Kendall. They still fit Kylie fine. They both are wearing 2T pants with no issues. They're still cinched in pretty far, but the length is good. I figured that I should probably measure them to get an idea on what sizes I should get them. (Both girls refused to get on the scale, so I really have no idea on weight. Kendall is definitely heavier, but not by a lot.)

Kendall is 36 inches tall. At 21 months. This girl better play volleyball/basketball! She's off the curve for height:

Kylie is 34.25 inches tall. Still definitely much taller than average:

Gee wonder where they get their height from?!?


I did get some pictures of them this past Saturday and will be posting a new one over on the 'Monthly Pictures' tab. It's amazing how much they've grown. Such big girls...




These pictures of Kevin and Kendall are just too sweet....






Friday, February 15, 2013

Happy Valentines Day!

Yeah, I'm a day late and a dollar short on this one, but that's ok!  We had a great Valentines Day (well other than pesky work getting in the way...of course).

Kevin sent me some beautiful flowers at work which did brighten my day!


The girls' daycare provider offered to keep them a little later than usual so we could go out and have some quiet time.  Kevin and I met up at Eddie Merlot's after work for a glass of wine and an appetizer.  We had a $50 gift card, and our bill came to $52 and some change.  We threw a $10 tip on it.  As we were walking out, one of the managers came up to us and gave us a $25 gift card as a thanks for coming in.  So, basically they paid us for coming in last night.  We'll take it! :)

I wish I was on the ball on this one, but I took zero pictures of the girls yesterday (MOTY)! Kevin took one of the girls and I before I left for work yesterday. You can't even see their shirts. (Whomp whomp.). Oh well, you win some, you lose some....



Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Video Wednesday

I took this video with my new video camera on Super Bowl Sunday.  We took the girls out sledding in the backyard for the first time.  Kendall LOVED it.  Kylie liked it at first, and then just wanted to be carried.  Sigh....story of my life.  Anyway, enjoy!


Sunday, February 10, 2013

Blur...

This past week has been a complete blur.  Monday, I had a normal day at work, picked the girls up from daycare, came home, watched the bachelor (yeah, Kevin LOVES Mondays!)  Tuesday, I was on my way to work and got stopped by a train when I was just a few minutes from work.  I looked at my phone because Kevin sent me a text.  I noticed that I had also gotten a text from our daycare provider saying that her son had randomly thrown up a few times overnight.  Everyone else was fine, and I was still ok to bring the girls over (if I was comfortable with that)  Unfortunately, I wasn't.  I did not even hesitate before turning my car around and heading home.  If I can avoid exposing the girls to a stomach virus I am going to do it.  Especially when Kevin was going to be out of town Thursday through Sunday.  There is no part of handling two toddlers with a stomach virus by myself that sounded appealing AT ALL.

I managed to work from home that day while taking care of the girls. Wednesday and Thursday I had my mom and one of the girls' former teachers from their old daycare come over.  Friday, I took PTO.  I know it may sound extreme keeping them home all week, but I am SUCH a germaphobe, and I wanted make sure they would be ok.  They have colds and are starting to get their two year molars anyway, so that's enough to handle on my own.

On Friday, I packed the car up with the girls, the dogs, and half of our house, and headed up to my parents' for the weekend.  It was nice to get out and have a change in scenery.  Being here all weekend with just me and them did not sound appealing.  They are really good girls, but I think we would have all been stir-crazy.  We had a great weekend, and came back this morning.  Since we have been home it had been balls to the wall.  This is the first time I have sat down today, and I am EXHAUSTED.  I cannot wait for Kevin to get home, and for a "normal" (hopefully) week this week.

I feel like this post was a complete ramble.  But, you'll have that every now and then....

You want to join us at Kroger sometime???  It's lots of fun!


And to top it all off, this one did not nap today.  Word to the wise, do not wake a napping toddler to change their diaper.  I was trying to prevent diaper rash, and instead got "no-nap Kylie"

Monday, February 4, 2013

Short fuse...

Some days I'm just over the screaming and whining, and just lose my cool. Tonight was one of those nights. No joke, from the time I picked them up, until the time they took a bath, all I heard was screaming, whining and crying. They.would.not.stop.

To be fair, I know they are starting to get their two year molars. They are in pain. They are both chewing on toys and digging around in their mouths more than I've seen them do in months. But, OMG girls, give mama a break.

Sometimes I wish that I could have the patience that Kevin does. He handles them so much better when they are being difficult. I just tend to get frustrated with them, which makes me angry at myself. Sigh. This mom stuff is not always easy, but in the end it is worth it.

And when they do stuff like this, I forget how frustrating they can be...


Saturday, February 2, 2013

Saturday...

The meteorologists in Ohio were predicting snow for today.  Not a ton, but enough to make it seem arduous to treck out with two toddlers.  They were predicting 2-4 inches today (by 8pm) and another inch or two tomorrow.  Usually, I scoff at their predictions, but this year we have been on the higher end of their estimations.  Kevin and I decided to run out last night and get some jambalaya makings for tonight's dinner, so we wouldn't have to worry about running out in a bunch of snow...

Well, we didn't get as much snow as they were predicting, and we could have easily been out all day long.  Oh well, it was cloudy and dreary, so we made the best of it!

While the girls were down for a nap, I sorted though about 7 bins of clothes and got rid of a whole garbage bagful.

Here's our keep bins (sentimental value...)

Summer clothes, it is way emptier than I was hoping!

Bag for Goodwill

My 'For Sale' bin.  I have a ton of clothes that I sell on a few pages on Facebook.  Mostly twin sets.

My bin to take to the consignment shop.
While I did this, Kevin started cleaning the basement.  We are planning on finishing it this year (and getting all of the girls toys out of our living room!)  He thought a cold dreary day would be the perfect day to start!

When the girls got up, I pulled out the crayons.  This seemed to keep them entertained for about 2.2 seconds.  Oh well!






The crayons captivated Daddy more than the girls!
They LOVE this castle!  They look through the windows at each other and laugh.  It's so cute!
Lastly, Kylie modeled a swimsuit I just got for them today.  Flipping ADORABLE!  It is from Gymboree's new nautical line - size 3T.  (Which, by the way, I cannot believe my 20 month olds are fitting into a 3T!)


It was such a great day, even though we just ended up chilling at home.  These types of days are needed every now and then though, so I'm not going to complain.  We finished off the day with a great dinner of jambalya and riesling.  Thanks Kev!

Oh wait, we did have a lot of this today...sigh....