Naughty List

So this Holiday season, we incorporated The Elf on the Shelf into our household. For those that have never heard of it, here is how it works: There is a book called The Elf on the Shelf that comes with a little elf. The story tells children how their elf sits in their home and watches their behavior and listens to their wishes. Each night, he flies to see Santa and gives his reports, good and bad. He then returns to the house and finds a new place to sit and watch. Rules: You can talk to him but he can't talk back, kids can't touch him or his magic will go away and he can't go to Santa. Our elf, Andy, has been quite effective and the girls have fun trying to find his new hiding spot each morning. However, a few days ago, Cupcake yelled at him as she was on her way to timeout for the millionth time that day, "Andy, don't look at me". Yesterday, we went to visit Santa at the mall. Both girls were very excited. When our turn came, Sweetie Pie jumped right on his lap and Cupcake proceeded to pull apart all the snow (cotton) on the display (right in front of Santa) She refused to stop so Brett had to pull her away kicking and screaming. Enough that a mall security guard came over and asked if she was okay. MYOB Today, my mom sent me a link to a website, Portable North Pole. I was able to create a personalized video for each girl. The video was amazing! Santa actually says their names and references personal information. He opens his book and shows them their "page" in his book. I was able to upload their pictures so they could see their name and face in his book. They were amazed! Sweetie Pie got a great report from Santa and was told to keep up the great job. Cupcake was told she was on the naughty watch list and that she needs to try harder if she wants a surprise from Santa. She looked at me like I was a traitor for revealing to Santa that she was naughty. I blamed Andy. After watching the video, Cupcake goes to her toy box and pulls out the envelope that we made to give to Santa yesterday. She asked me to give it to Santa and tell him she is better. I told her I would and finished what I was doing. I didn't even look in it until just a few minutes ago. She stuffed it full of her Cinderella doll jewelry. Great, my child is trying to bribe Santa. She knows more about the real world than I have given her credit for. Final note, take a moment and imagine what I am in for when this girl turns 16. Now stop rolling on the floor laughing and go about your day.

Happy 3rd Birthday!

We survived! Our very sweet but very busy girls turned 3 and what a whirlwind it has been! I can tell you that most of the first year of their life is a blur of diapers, feedings, schedules, and lots of oohs and ahhs! Thank goodness I took so many photos to clue me in on what happened. The second year was much better in that we started to get the hang of things and realized we could handle this parenting thing...most of the time. The third year was a blast. They are all about inquiring and exploring. I don't want to say that things have gotten easier but the challenges are different. I love that they can tell me what they are thinking and feeling. I love that they enjoy playing together and play well with other children. I love that they are great sleepers. I love that I have focused so much on nutrition because they are really good eaters and eat a variety of foods. Did I mention that they are good sleepers? ;) I am so thankful to have them in my life because there were times when I truly didn't think it was going to be possible. My heart goes out to the families that continue to struggle with infertility. So the photo, this was taken on their very last night as 2-year-olds and my very last night of having 2 2-year-olds. We were putting them to bed when Cupcake asked if she could sleep with Sweetie Pie. Normally, Sweetie Pie really appreciates her very own bed and prefers to only have animals stuffed with fluff keep her company. On this night, she agreed and they slept together. My heart melted as I listened to my sweet girls giggling and being silly in their bed until they fell asleep. They slept like this all night along with their many Georges and Taggies! Happy 3rd Birthday, Sweetie Pie and Cupcake!

Where are you Christmas?

Wow, the holiday season really snuck up on me! We had such a nice, relaxing Thanksgiving dinner at my Aunt's house. She had a dvd of some old home movies and it was so fun watching them but also sad because it made me realize how much I miss my Papa Mainard and how I wish Brett could have known him. He was so funny and laid back and really was so much fun to be around. I don't ever remembering him being grumpy or impatient with me. On that note, Grandma was a real peach for Thanksgiving. She really is such a sugar cube! ;) My Papa would have just thought it was so neat that we had twins and he would have loved seeing all our kids running around and playing. I get sad thinking about how they will not get to hear his Donald Duck voice or sit on his lap and try to straighten his broken finger.

So Thanksgiving night, I braved the crowds with two of my friends, M and A, and waited in line at Toys R Us for the doorbusters. We got everything we wanted and were out of the store by 10:30pm. We even got up enough nerve to brave Walmart and had a successful trip there. I was out all day on Friday shop, shop, shopping and finished most of my Christmas and Birthday shopping! Yay, me! With that said, I am patiently awaiting my Christmas Spirit to set in. I thought the red cups at Starbuck's would do it but not so far. Last night, we started putting up Christmas decorations. The girls were so excited to see the Christmas tree. We started a new holiday season tradition by reading "The Elf on the Shelf". After much debate, we named him Andy. (Cupcake wanted to call him Santa, Sweetie Pie wanted to call him Elf, Brett wanted to call him Hakeem and I wanted Fritz) We decided on Andy because Toy Story is one of their favorite movies. Today, when the girls woke up, Andy had "found" his way to the top of the microwave and is quietly writing his report for Santa. It's not looking good for the ladies so far!

Last year after Christmas, Brett was such a helper and took all my garland and ornaments off the railings and put them away for me. While going through the bins of Christmas stuff this year, I found a Target bag filled with the ornaments from the railings with a wadded up paper towel on top of it. Nice wrapping job, my love! Nothing was broke but Seriously?!?!

Happy Birthday, Brett!

This weekend was Brett's birthday weekend. I really like to make his birthdays special for him because I know it is difficult for him to be away from his family on special days like this. This year was even more fun because the girls really got in on the fun. They picked out their own cards for him and helped me pick the gift bag (Toy Story). We practiced singing Happy Birthday when he wasn't home even though as soon as he got home, Cupcake would ask him if he wanted her to sing Happy Birthday to him. Last night, we had dinner at PF Chang's with our friends and then came back to house and had a blast playing board games, drinking and shaking our groove things playing Just Dance 2 on the Wii. Brett had a bit too much fun last night so we had to cancel our scheduled visitors today. This morning I had the girls sneak downstairs with me to get his cake (we get him a Carvel Ice Cream Cake every year). They helped me write Happy Birthday on it and put the candles in it. We sang Happy Birthday and had ice cream cake for breakfast! Well, Cupcake, Brett and I had ice cream, Sweetie Pie had yogurt because, "I not like ice cream, it's yucky". Brett was able to do a webcam with his parents and then my parents came over for dinner. Brett got to do his favorite things, eat and watch football, all day!

Money Card

Cupcake and Sweetie Pie are eating lunch at the island when Cupcake starts going through the pile of mail sitting next to her. She comes across a thank you note that I got from my friend for the shower gift I had given her. Cupcake says, "Look, Daddy, a card for me". Brett tells her the card was for me from my friend. Cupake opens it and says,"Oh no, it doesn't have any money in it". Thank you, Grammy for convincing my children that every card we receive should contain a gold dollar. :) It should be really interesting once the Holiday cards start rolling in.

Christmas Wish Lists

So Brett and I are thinking of getting the girls either a ride on car or big girl bikes for Christmas this year. We went to Toys R Us tonight to let them sit on the bikes to see what size they would need and to see if they could handle pedaling them. Sweetie Pie was worried more about which hat (helmet) she was going to wear and Cupcake only wanted the bike that had the seat on the back for her baby doll. We walked over to the cars and Cupcake went straight for the four wheeler. I told her, "Cupcake, if we get you one of these cars, we have to get one with two seats so you and your sister can ride in it". After that, before she would get in any of the cars, she would count (out loud) how many seats and then say, "Yes, this has two seats, one for me and one for sissy". Awww! On another note, these cars are unbelievable! They have working radios, stitched leather seats and mp3 hookups. Are you kidding me? This year is going to be so much fun with them. They get so excited and for the past two weeks, Sweetie Pie has been walking around with the Toys R Us and Target Toy Books like they are her personal play books. She looks through them over and over and says, "Mommy, I need that or I want that". Obviously, we can't get them everything they want but now I get the struggle parents have because, of course, I WANT to get them everything their little hearts desire. I believe that spoiled is less about the actual size or cost or number of possessions, but more about my children's attitude toward gifts and material things. Are they thankful and appreciate the things or are they demanding and throw fits if they don't get what they want? The struggle is finding a balance and also making sure we teach them to appreciate the "things" they do have and to understand the most important "things" aren't material things.

Garbage Day

Mondays are garbage day in our neighborhood. After Christmas last year I got a greater appreciation for the job that our garbage men do every week. It's freezing cold in the winter and boiling hot in the summer and they have to haul other people's trash. in our case, they get the added bonus of double the poopy diapers. So after seeing the huge amount of trash we had last Christmas and seeing our neighbors' garbage, I started to feel bad for the guys. They were nice guys, if I was out there with the girls, they would make the basket go up and down for them. I noticed that one day, they would take their afternoon break along our fence so I started bringing them hot chocolate in the winter and lemonade or ice water in the summer if I was home when they came by. All of a sudden, one day I notice they are taking their break across the street by my our neighbor's house. What?!?! What did I do? Not that we were best friends forever but I thought we had made a connection. I know darn well my neighbor isn't bringing them goodies, he can't even bring his sprinkler in, pretty sure he isn't sharing his delicious hot chocolate (with marshmallows) with them! I told Brett my dilemma and he thinks it's hysterical. He says I am my "Mother's Daughter" getting upset about something silly like that. I am not going to lose sleep over it but it does bug me seeing them chew the fat across the street. We'll see if they change their tune come January when it is 12 degrees outside without the windchill. They will be begging me for hot chocolate and I will just have to say, sorry fellas, I gave it all to the street cleaner.

Cupcake's ABCs

I know i have said this before but i just think it is so amazing when the girls make everyday connections that we just don't even think about. Cupcake is feeling much better now so she is playing her computer games. She is playing an alphabet game and at the end it shows all the letters together. She calls me over to say,"Mommy, Mommy, Cupcake (E) and Daddy (D) are together". I tell her, I don't understand what she means and she points to the alphabet and shows me that the letter "E" and the letter "D" are next to each other. Cupcake and Daddy are next to each other in the alphabet. WOW! so proud of her!

Fish Sticks and Feelings

Today, the ladies were eating lunch (fish sticks and rice pilaf). I was putting the dishes away and I observe the following conversation:

Cupcake: Sweetie Pie, where are your fish sticks?

Sweetie Pie: In my belly, where are your fish sticks?

Cupcake: On my plate

Sweetie Pie as she snatches one of Cupcake's sticks and stuffs it in her mouth: Your fish stick is in my belly too.

Cupcake: Hey, Mommy!

She looks over at me and I am laughing.

Cupcake: No laugh, Mommy, my feelings are hurting.

Tee hee! They crack me up!

Sick Little Cupcake

My poor little Cupcake is sick. Last night she started running a fever and it has continued all day today. We had to skip a birthday playdate for two of their twin buddies. We stayed home and had a pajama/craft day instead. We watched Tinker Bell twice, learned about the letter "A", and did noodle art. Sweetie Pie has gotten pretty good at drawing the "A". Cupcake has asked me to "hold her like a baby" all day, which I totally don't mind because I don't think she will be asking me to do that for much longer. So tonight, I am holding Cupcake on the couch and Sweetie Pie asks, what's wrong with Sissy? I told her she is sick, she has a fever and is sleepy. Sweetie Pie feels her head and says, "No, Mommy, she not hot, she feels better". I told her, "Goofy, I think I would know, I am the Mom and we know these things". Her response combined with an eye roll, "You not Mom, you Mommy and I not Goofy, I Cupcake". Well, there you go. I also think it is interesting how far I have come as a Mommy. I managed the whole day with a very clingy Cupcake and a very active Sweetie Pie and didn't have to call Brett and beg him to come home early. Yay me! I did not, however, get to leave the house to vote. Good Mom = Bad Citizen You can't win them all!

Cupcake's Quotes

We were eating lunch today and Cupcake said, "Mommy, I want to go to Halloween". Brett told her, "Cupcake, Halloween isn't a place because if that was the case, I want to go to Thanksgiving". Used it as my Facebook post and my friend M said she wished it was Pulaski Day. She is weird. Love our meal conversations these days. Tonight, we went to Trick or Treating at the mall by our house. It was such a mad house, by the time we got half way through, most of the stores had run out of candy. We took the ladies to the food court so they could sit and eat a sucker (according to Brett they are called Lollipops - I thought Lollipops were in the Wizard of Oz but I guess that is how they roll on the East Coast). Cupcake tells me, "Mommy, pink suckers are my favorite". Good to know! :) We leave the mall and are driving my newly repaired van home and Cupcake says, "I am so happy Mommy's car is fixed, Mommy's car is my favorite". Guessing the constant stream of Go Diego Go versus Brett's constant stream of sports radio is the reason behind that comment. The picture I included was a prime example of what a great Dad my love is. He is holding a naked baby and her clothes and a bucket of candy. Love him and love my life!

Miss Suzi Crackers

Little Sweetie Pie was such a cutie pie today. She is just the sweetest little thing, I can hardly stand it. When Brett came home from work today, she was so excited to see him! She ran to the back door and gave him a big "squeezie" hug and said, "Daddy, you are so happy to see me!". How stinking cute is that? Later that night, she picked Miss Suzi Crackers for her dessert. Miss Suzi Crackers are Vanilla Wafers, they call them that because every time they go to our neighbor's house, Miss Suzi gives them two Vanilla Wafers and a cup of water. I gave her six wafers (found out later) and walked away. When I walked by a few minutes later, she was watching the TV so I swiped one of her wafers. (Yes, I am THAT mom) A few minutes later, Sweetie Pie runs into the room and tells me, "Mommy, come here and help me, please". I go in the kitchen and she tells me she "needs help because one of her Miss Suzi crackers blew away, oh no, one of my Miss Suzi crackers blew away, Mommy". Doh! I failed to notice that she had counted and arranged her wafers and had no intention of eating them but rather had more fun playing with them. So sweet!

Just Thankful

So the potty training went much better today. Both girls have been telling us BEFORE they go potty and have made it to the potty. We only had one accident today and that was after we had already put diapers on for bedtime. Little Miss Cupcake filled up her chart today and Sweetie Pie only has two spots left.

On another note, I had such a scary experience today. Brett and I were eating lunch while the girls were on the potty. I was eating a salad with chopped up apple and got a piece of apple caught in my throat. It was completely stuck and I immediately freaked. Brett saw right away and asked if I was okay? I shook my head no and really freaked. All I kept thinking was, not in front of my kids, please not in front of my kids. I was choking and trying to cough it up with no success. I finally dropped to the floor and was seriously freaked. Brett tried the heimlich but was way off on his technique so I kept moving his hands to the correct spot but it wasn't working. I was finally able to loosen it up and drink some water to get it down. I have to say that was SOOOO scary. Even scarier was our reaction to the situation. We agreed that we need to take a First Aid/CPR class. Then later, I am talking to my Mom and she tells me about a very close call her and my father had in their car today while coming home from the Covered Bridge festival. She was very freaked out and feeling very thankful that everything turned out okay. I am so thankful that we are all snug in our homes, safe and sound. What a whirlwind of a day. I love my life and the people in it. Mom, I love you from the sky to the ground and around and around.

Potty Power Struggle

Really looking for some moral support here! Let me start by saying that up until now, I have had pretty easy going, healthy kids. They have always been great sleepers and great eaters. But......yesterday I wiped up countless puddles of pee off the floor, I washed 6 pairs of underwear twice and cleaned poo poo out of one pair and threw one pair out. (In about 4 hours) I DON'T GET IT! They wake up dry but then refuse to sit on the potty. Then they say they want to sit on the potty during the day but don't pee but as soon as I put their panties back on, they PEE! RAAAAAH! They definitely do not like how the pee feels in their panties. Cupcake told me she had to pee, actually went pee on the potty and then put her pants on and pooped! She got to pick out of a grab bag for going pee pee but then Sweetie Pie was hysterical because she wanted a toy. It seriously broke my heart, she was so darn sad. I honestly can't tell if they are ready or if I am rushing it. People have started making "little" comments and I feel like an even bigger loser because their cousin that is 3 months younger than them is fully potty trained. Am I crazy? Should I just focus on one girl at a time so I am not completely overwhelmed? They will be three on December 14th. Today, both girls went poo poo in the potty (Sweetie Pie finally got the piggy she has been longing for) but then Cupcake peed her pants 15 minutes later. Since this morning, Sweetie Pie has refused to sit on the potty. Why would she want to? She got the pig and basically said, "See you, Sucka".

I did it, Mommy, I did it!

I have been keeping myself very busy planning our family vacation to Disney World. When it gets overwhelming, I have to remind myself that this going to be FUN and the girls will not know if I forgot the stroller hooks! They are just so excited to go to "Mickey's house". In fact, everytime I tell them to put their shoes on, they think we are leaving for Disney! Today at dinner I asked Sweetie Pie what she thought Mickey was eating for dinner and she told me in her very matter of fact voice, "Bread". I asked Cupcake the same question and her response was, "Pink". Huh? So while I was on the computer, looking at Disney stuff, Cupcake asked if she could push the button on the computer. It made me wonder, maybe she is ready to use the mouse. So I pulled up some free games on Fisher Price's website. It took her maybe 5 minutes and she had it. She was picking out opposites, picking animal sounds, and painting pictures! Sweetie Pie struggled a bit with watching the screen while moving the mouse but she caught on quickly. Every time she got a match, she would yell, "I did it, I did it, Mommy". They are such little sponges right now, they ask about everything and actually listen to our answers! It just amazes me watching them problem solve and makes me dread the day that they don't run up to me to share their victory. Maybe that won't happen because I know to this day, I immediately call my Mom with not just my victories but the victories of my children.

Quality Time

Last night I went to check on the girls before I went to bed and when I walked in the room, Sweetie Pie popped up and said Hi Mommy in her sweet little voice. She reached for me and said, "huggie". She just melted my heart! I picked her up and we snuggled and then she asked for some water. I brought her in my room and gave her a cup of water. They amaze me everyday. They are getting so big and I know these moments are going to pass so quickly. Something I have always struggled with is finding a way to spend individual time with each of my girls. I really believe that these moments sneak in now and again as a way to ease my concern.

1st Day of "School"

I finally have my computer back! My sweet but clumsy husband spilled a cup of coffee on mine so I have been without for some time now! My sweet girls started a PDO (Parents Day Out) program last month. I can't believe how big they have gotten! We talked about it for days leading up to it and they were so excited! They marched right in on the first day and didn't look back. Miss Marlene and Miss Carol said they cried a bit after we left but felt better when they knew I would be back after lunch to pick them up. As for me, I ran a zillion errands in record time and it was so nice. I was even able to pick up lunch for Brett and sit in his office and eat with him. When I picked the girls up, I asked them what they did at school. Sweetie Pie: I played with fire truck, Cupcake: I pooped. Seriously? The even funnier part is that the teacher told me she didn't! They did both eat all their lunch and made a beautiful circle collage.

Thank you, Mommy

It is very important to me that I have courteous and polite children, as is probably the hope of most parents. In our house, we are always saying please, thank you, excuse me, etc. The girls have gotten pretty good at remembering. Of course, the other side of the coin is teaching them that just because they say please doesn't necessarily mean they are going to get everything they ask for. So last night, like every night, I went into the girls' room to check on them before I went to bed. They had been sleeping for a good four hours. I covered Sweetie Pie up with her blanket and she lifts her little head and looks me, smiles, and says, "Thank you, Mommy". She puts her head back down and goes to sleep. Insert burning nose and tear filled eyes. This is what being a Mom is all about. That sweet little voice and smile. What an amazing way to end my evening.

Sneaky Sissy

So Sweetie Pie was playing with a singing turtle toy we had from when they were infants and Cupcake decided she wanted it. So Cupcake grabs their Mickey Mouse cell phone and starts having a conversation. She then brings the phone over to Sweetie Pie and says,"Here, Sissy, it's Grammy". Of course, Sweetie Pie upon hearing it's Grammy gets so excited, she grabs the phone, thus releasing her death grip on the turtle leaving it available for Cupcake. She grabs it and runs! How brilliant, yet disturbingly sneaky.

Sprinkled with Great Friends

I hosted a Sprinkle/Playdate today for another Mommy Friend. Just uploaded the pictures and was thinking how fortunate I am to have met such a fabulous group of mommies. The Moms that I surround myself with are such a supportive, fun, and caring group of ladies. We are always doing such fun things with our kids and it is so nice to have friends that know exactly what I go through daily. Note: The little man is crying because he REALLY wants some cake! :) The second photo is of the kids painting onesies for the new baby girl.

Crabby Pants Takes a Nap

On this particular day, my Sweetie Pie was just not a happy camper. Everything was setting her off. She didn't want to get dressed so she was in her jammies most of the day and she was fighting with her sister about everything. I was in the process of fixing lunch and she was pulling on my pants and screaming. I told her to go sit in timeout and calm herself down and I would come get her when it was time for lunch. Cut to two minutes later, I am calling her to the table with no response. I found her fast asleep in her timeout spot. My little crab apple was passed out cold. Too sweet!

Paparazzi or Predator?

A couple weeks ago, Brett and I were shopping at the Disney Store in the mall near our house. We had the girls in the stroller and were talking to each other about possible gift ideas for our niece. A lady comes up to us holding a camera, a small point and shoot. She asks me if it would be okay to take some photos of the girls. Huh? Seriously?!?! I just looked at her like she was insane and said, umm, no. She said okay and walked away. WTH?!?! What was that about? Now, I happen to know that my girls are little cutie patooties but what did she expect my answer to be? What would be her reasons for asking such a question? I hate that I feel this way, but my mind always goes to the worst possible answer. I told Brett we just had to leave because I felt so uncomfortable, like she was lurking around every corner trying to take a secret picture of the girls.

Little Ladies

So my little cutie pies have turned into little ladies without me looking! We are in the process of finishing our basement so we had to make a "quick" run to Home Depot. I told the girls to go wait by the door and put their shoes on. Cupcake tells me, "No, Mommy, pursh". (Translation: No, Mommy, purse). Monkey See, Monkey Do in our house so then Sweetie Pie needed to grab her purse. We go to Home Depot and, tonight, I sit down and spot their purses laying on the floor. It cracks me up to see what they just had to have in their purse for a trip to Home Depot. Sweetie Pie: One plastic cow, five plastic lizards, one cookie monster, Thomas the Train, and the best, a Dairy Queen Ice Cream Sandwich. Cupcake: Cell phone, lipstick, brush, My Little Pony, a blue garbage truck, her Nomee Cheese (Nemo Camera), a Candy Land piece and a plastic strawberry. Both girls came home with a Mickey Mouse paint swatch. How cute is this? These are the things that are important to them today. I love these girls!