B is THREE!!!!

Dearest Brooklyn,

Another year has come and gone; as your mom I am left wondering, “where did this past year go?”  This past year you have really found yourself.  For the longest time we couldn’t quite figure out your personality, but no worries, we have now!  You are spunky, creative, a “free spirit”, and beat to a your own drum.  

You’ve spent the year playing.  You go to Ms. Pat’s three days a week where you just love “your friends”.  We often hear about Hayden, Soren, Molly, Dylan, and Jack.  I feel so blessed to have such a nice lady as Ms. Pat in your life.  She loves you as her own and the hugs you two exchange every morning when I drop you off, makes my heart melt.  I love how you have nicknamed her Patty.  Additionally, you created a routine when I drop you off.  You go to her big picture window and stand there and wait until I pass by in my van, then I roll down my window and you, Pat, and your friends wave at me.  I love this!  I think I will forever picture you in this window waving goodbye to me.  

You are definitely a mama’s girl.  There is NO denying this.  It’s one of my favorite things about you, the bond that we have together.  However, sometimes I have to admit it is a bit excessive.  You don’t even want your dad to give you a bath or anything.  Many nights we don’t let you win, so you scream and cry as you are bathed by your dad.  You have this funny relationship with your dad.  He tells you no, you point to him.  You have a way to get through his “hard” side and make him laugh.  Again, I love it!  

I can’t figure this one out but you are always confused to what time of the day it is.  You can’t figure out if we are eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner; nor where we are going (even though I have told you a million times).  I think you have a little ploy going on in your head to mess with mine.  

You used to hate to get on the highway in the van.  It took about six months but you have got over that phase, finally.  You would cry as I would go down a ramp to get onto a highway.  SO glad we are done with this phase.  

This past year was also was a year of you being TOTALLY potty trained.  Right when you turned two, you decided you didn’t want anything to do with diapers (day or night).  We went with it, and about a month later, you were done with diapers all together.  Ayla encouraged you a lot and you have always wanted to be big like your sister.  

Your health is always an issue.  In June you got your second set of tubes and adenoids taken out.  You did great and it worked.  But a month later you were sick all the time.  We are still trying to figure all of this out but we have figured out you have asthma (like your mama).  Your ears are still an issue (they have been draining this week) and your sinus have been infected as well.  Additionally in October you were placed on allergy shots.  So weekly you get a shot now.  It only took you two months not to cry when you get them.  So we will continue to fight for you and your health.  It’s an ongoing issue, but you are a trooper and never throw a fit...you just fight.  It could always be so much worse so I tend to focus on how blessed we are to have you.  

You always started dance this past year.  In August you started at Columbia Performing Arts Center, where Ayla goes as well.  You LOVED it, then about two months into it, you cried the whole class.  It broke my heart.  Dad took you one time and you were perfect.  After that time you told me you would be good if I took you again, and it worked.  Your performance at the Christmas Recital was priceless.  We found out that you will stand up for yourself.  

This year has been a lot of fun with you.  Helping you learn, explore the world, and grow are some of my favorites but I could go on and on.  God blessed us when he gave you to our family.  Brooklyn, we love you!

Love You,

Mom

Ayla is 6!

Dearest Ayla,

I know we say this every year, but it doesn't seem possible that another year has come and gone. SIX. That is the age you turn today. Six years ago I knew I wanted a baby, but I had no idea how much joy you would bring to our lives. The traits that we love about you are that you are hard-headed, you pay attention to everything going on around you, and I truly think you could run our household better than a babysitter. You are much wiser than your six years!

Now that you are in Kindergarten your life has changed. You go to school every morning at 7:15, which means you are up by 6 am. I pick you up from school at 3:15. Then due to your highly social personality, you usually have an activity to do. Right now you are doing swim twice a week, dance once a week, and getting ready to start Daisy's. You love playing with your friends and beg for playdates. You know everything going on and make sure that we take you to it! One day in your Daily Folder your teacher wrote. "Ayla keeps me on my toes...in a good way." I thought to myself, "Yep, that's my girl."

Favorite things you are into right now....the color pink, arts and crafts, building and snuggling with your vast amount of blankets (they have to be soft ones) as well as your stuffed animals, and of course, that sister of yours...you never forget about her. You also LOVE Disney since going there as well as traveling. You love hanging out with your grandma and grandpa too! You have a heart of gold and a determination that I pray that you keep and always remember.

The one thing we fight with you about, and I don't see it ending soon, is eating food! It's a nightly drama fest because you want everything peeled (bread, hot dogs, chicken, etc.), nothing touching, and honestly would prefer to just live on desserts. But, I figure you can't be perfect...no one is...so we continue to be "parents" and make you eat your dinner!

Thank you Ayla for all the love you have brought us. We love you so very much!

Mom and Dad

Spread Your Wings And Fly Little Girl

For the past almost six years, I have had Ayla by my side and today we sent her to Kindergarten.  The only thing going through my mind the past couple of days is "Spread Your Wings and Fly Little Girl"; the time has come.  The time has come for me to let go and to let her find her own space in this world.  After years of protecting her, today she takes a major step in this world...it's called school.  I know I will always be her mom and we will have plenty of time together...but moms that have been where I am probably remember this BIG day.  I couldn't be more proud of the girl that my Ayla has become.  I have no doubts that she will embrace school and excel.

This morning we took Ayla and she was brave, and so were we; no tears were shed.  Sounds like she had a great day.  She told me all about having 19 kids in her class, going to library, playing on the playground and the 14 swings that they have there, and much much more.  I was so happy she shared about her day with us.  But the minute I got her in the car, I said, "How was Kindergarten?"  Her reply,  "I'm hungry and I don't want to go back."  So hopefully tomorrow she will change her views.  Later, in talking to her I found out she didn't want to go back because she said it wore her out.  Tonight we got her to bed at 7:30 in hopes of helping her getting enough rest for tomorrow.  (and a side note, she only had a half of day of school today...so she better get prepared).

T'was the night before Kindergarten...

Growing Too Fast

This summer has been so much fun with the girls.  The one thing that keeps coming to mind is that they are growing WAY TOO FAST!  How did this happen?

In June, we had a huge half birthday bash for Brooklyn at the lake.  We had a ton of friends and families come and celebrate with her.  They went on the jet skiis, swam all day, went out on the boat, and tubing.  What a fun day that was.

Brooklyn continues to GROW this summer.  Some of my favorite things about her are..
*She loves her new fish.  She was determined to name it Fish no matter how much I talked to her about it.  So we have Fish living with us now.
*Every night we pray.  She always prays for mommy, dad, Ayla, grandma, grandpa, George, Karla, and GOD.  It cracks me up she is praying to God and praying for him too.
*She loves to swim.  I guess when you take her to the pool over and over she really doesn't have a choice, but she is so much better this year.
*She is displaying the kicking, screaming, and saying "no" phase.
*She still LOVES her sister to no end.  It melts my heart.

Ayla too has GROWN like a weed.  If you see her, you'd notice how tall she has got.  She is now officially a girl.  Here is what she is up to...
*Having friends over, it's her new thing.  She wants play dates and sleepovers all the time.  Ayla named her new fish "Amelia" which is one of her good friends.
*Swimming---She's in swim lessons all the time and passed her first round of them.  She is a fish in the water.  I am so proud of her.  She too has lived at the pool with Brooklyn and I this summer.  It's been so much fun.
*She too has shown us another side of her that we don't like.  Attitudes and talking back is something she is learning doesn't fly in our household.
*Ayla is what I call an old soul.  She is so old for her age and so grown up.  She could run our household if I wasn't there.  I love that about her.
*In a month, I will send my little girl off to Kindergarten.  Though I know it's where she needs to be, it's still going to be bittersweet.  So until then we will continue to enjoy our summer swimming, camping, and having fun.

May 2013

What we do on rainy days...bring in a huge dry erase board and the girls LOVE it! 

Big Girl Bed for Brooklyn, she was so excited and made the change so easily.

 Ayla got a full size bed, which she loves too!

Ayla's Dance Recital...it's she just beautiful?!  Love her so much.  She makes us so proud.

DISNEY---OUR NEW ADDICTION!

On April 26th our family took our first family vacation to Disney World.  I honestly wasn't sure how well a trip to Disney with a five and two year old would go but I did a ton of research and had a ton of help from a dear friend and I can say the planning payed off.  We had a BLAST.  Everything went as smoothly as possible (even the weather was great, no rain).  The girls had some favorite things...they were meeting the princesses (Ayla is still talking about this), eating with Cinderella in her castle, meeting the evil stepsisters, getting autographs from all the characters, riding Soarin' (Ayla, B was too young to ride), and just being together as a family.  From the minute we left we were all talking about our next trip to Disney.

Our trip began with a flight from Columbia to Orlando.  Being a direct flight made it so much easier.  Brooklyn did great (I wasn't sure due to her ears and having an ear infection the day before we left) but she did like to get up and go to the bathroom a lot.  Ayla was super easy on the flight.  From there we got on a Disney bus and went to the resort.  The minute we got off the bus our stroller I rented awaited us, and we went to our room.  The room (we stayed at Port Orleans--Riverside) was beautiful and everything was done with thought.  The girls loved the LED light up headboards.  The princess room was something!  We put our bags down, caught a bus to Epcot and was there shortly after.  The first thing we did was meet Mickey, Pluto, and Minnie.  The girls behind us in line were HUGE Disney fans and so excited to witness the girls meeting them for the first time.  They honestly made us excited.  We had a great time touring Epcot, riding some rides, playing on a playground, and eating with the princesses followed by the show there at night. If you have never seen their show at night, GO!  It gave me the most united feeling.  It was one of my favorite things.  After the show was over we got to stay two extra hours due to magical hours (since we were staying on property).  That is the only way we got on the ride Soarin', which was something to experience.  We got back to the hotel at 11:30 that night and the girls were both still wide awake and happy.

The next day started early, I got up at 5:45 and got ready, then Joe, then the girls.  We literally couldn't wake up Brooklyn.  This was the morning to eat Breakfast in Cinderella's castle.  We again caught our bus to Magical Kingdom and got there around 8.  It was neat because we were allowed into the park before it opened at 9.  We took pics and then went to the castle to eat.  It was a great experience, and I totally recommend it.  Before we finished breakfast Joe had our first fast pass and he mastered the system.  So we went from ride to ride without standing in lines.  He knew what he was doing and he was good at it.  We rode rides all morning.  After eating lunch, we headed back to the hotel to take a nap.  We had a great nap (all four of us), woke up, and headed back for round two.  We ate dinner at the Crystal Palace (with Pooh and friends) and then met Tinkerbell and rode more rides.  Then we saw the parade and fireworks (again, something you should see in your lifetime).  After that we headed back to the hotel.  We got back around 10:30 and called in a night.

The last day we were there we did Animal Kingdom.  The Safari ride there is awesome and we all enjoyed it.  We again rode rides and looked around followed by lunch at Tusker house with Donald and freinds.  Afterwards we went and met some more characters and then headed to DinoLand.  Ayla remembers DinoLand as HOT.  We watched the bug show (which was neat too) and the parade and headed back to the hotel about 4:00.  We went back to the hotel, swam (it was a really nice resort and pool), and ate dinner.  We tried to get to bed early but it was after 10 before we got to bed.

We had to wake up at 5am to catch the 5:45 bus to take us to the airport.  I thought the girls would wine and complain but they didn't.  They just got up and did what they had to.  Joe and I are still in shock at how well they did.  The plane ride home was good and no complaints.  They were tired but of course wouldn't sleep.  We were back in Columbia by 9:30am and went about our normal life as we know it!  The girls love their autograph books but Ayla talks about it all the time.  She has done the research and we didn't meet four princesses so she has filled me in where they are and where we need to go next time!

Ayla the Warrior

So today Ayla had to get a cavity filled; her first one.  She walked in there (telling me she wasn't scared) and did everything better than even me.  The dentist couldn't get over how she didn't move and was so well behaved.  Ayla left, so proud of herself and we were on our way.  When we got home and the medicine wore off her tooth did hurt her.  So she ate soup for lunch, rested, and now she is back to her normal self.  Go Ayla!

Time Just Keeps Flying By...

I am in awe at how quickly life has past me by lately.  It is like I turn around and my girls are doing so much more than the week before.  Here is what the girls have been up to.  

At school Ayla has been learning about Dr. Seuss and this Wednesday was wild Wednesday.  She was so happy to wear a dress (for those of you that don't know Ayla, she would wear a dress everyday if I let her).  I can't believe that we are a month away from her Pre-K graduation.  She went to her K screening at Columbia Catholic last week as well and did terrific.  My little girl is growing up!  

My favorite new thing Ayla can do:  Make breakfast (yes, get cereal and milk and pour it) for her and Brooklyn.  She even puts Brooklyn in her seat with a bib on.  It's pretty sweet!  

Brooklyn...oh, Brooklyn.  Brooklyn loves to help...when she isn't crying...she cries a lot, and yes,  I have got used to it (here she is helping me make pizzas for lunch to put on the grill).  She always has to be in the kitchen "helping" when I am.  She always says, "ME DO" and she means it.  She now even gets up in the morning on her own (something I don't like) and she goes to the bathroom all by herself now.  She is VERY independent.  I didn't think anyone could top Ayla, but I think Brooklyn has!  

Brooklyn loves the number NINE!  She also likes the color ORANGE!  She is talking up a storm and recently got tested for her speech and was only 7% behind, such an improvement than earlier in her life.  If Ayla would let her talk, she does.  

right there.  Then she fell many other times too.  This has been status quo for her since birth; but the o

She was so excited the other morning looking out of our bedroom window.  She was screaming "kitty".  I laughed so hard, it was a squirrel.  

Brooklyn can't wait to be in gymnastics and dance like Ayla.  She tries to put a leotard on every week when I take Ayla.  It's sad, so we are going to have to find something for little Miss B to do!  

Allergies are severely affecting both of the girls this spring.  I am ready to skip to summer.  I love summer.  Something about the feeling and summer nights!

B's 2 year checkup

...I know, I know, I am behind...welcome to our lives lately.  Anyhow, I took Brooklyn to the dr. today for her two year checkup.  I don't know what I did with her stats, I literally can't find them.  However, this is what I remember.  Her height was in the 25% (not a big shocker), her weight was 25lbs 8 oz (30%), and her head curr. was in the 75% at 19".

Nothing else to really report except when he checked her ears, she threw a huge fit, had a crying fit (which is normal, she doesn't like people messing with her ears) and we made a discovery...one tube was sitting right there ready to fall out.  So yes, you guessed it, I have it!  It's kinda gross.  She got these tubes put in at 10 months, so they've done her well.  Let's just hope she doesn't need tubes again!  This poor kid and her ears!

Looks Like We Are A Diaper Free Household Now...

Out with the diapers, in with the underwear....well, we still have pull-ups for naps and overnight (even though she hasn't really needed those either).  Brooklyn is rockin' the whole potty training thing.  The past two days have been totally accident free!  Though I feel like I more intimate with our bathroom than ever...it's been a success!  I can handle our bathrooms, but anyone that knows me, knows that public restrooms aren't my thing.  But I suck it up and go in there just like it's our bathroom....even though it is GROSS!  Brooklyn has filled up her chart with 5, 10, 15, 20 squares and is now working on her chart with 25 squares.  Go B!  My favorite thing about this experience is the smirk/smile that lights up on her face when she goes.

When Brooklyn gets a Skittle for going or a prize for filling up her chart, she is adamant that Ayla get the same thing.  So I had a talk with Ayla.  When she gets a Skittle from Brooklyn, she gets excited and tells Brooklyn "Good Job".  When B gets a prize for filling a chart, I told Ayla she would get one too because I have been putting a lot of time towards Brooklyn during this process, and it's our way of saying "Thank You" for allowing us to work on this with Brooklyn.  It's going great, and I have no complaints.  I know we will still have our days...but I think we are over the hump now!  YIPEE!!!