Yesterday Sophia invited me to her moon picnic. Don't ask me what a moon picnic is. It was the same as a regular picnic. (smile) Sophia set up a blanket in the entry hall and brought three of her "friends" - Dora, Polka Dot Puppy from Aunt Carole, and Doc.
We shared some strawberries and watermelon for our snack. Lilly was asleep so she didn't get to join us and I think Sophia was secretly happy about it.
Sophia showed me how she can wink. I could barely see her open eye, but she definitely winked at me. I think she winks as well as I do. Ha ha ha. She also whistles as well as I do which is pretty much nil.
We went to the playground on Tuesday with Haley and Carlie. All the girls had a great time. The weather was gorgeous - in the low 70s. We packed a picnic lunch and then let the girls play. Lilly and Carlie are becoming great friends.
The girls like to fight. Mostly they fight over toys. Sometimes when Lilly is tired she'll just walk up to Sophia and hit her. She'll hit her in the head, arm, chest, leg, etc. She's not picky. This blurry photo may look like Sophia is picking on Lilly, but really it's the other way around.
I've seen Sophia squeeze Lilly's arm when she wants to get Lilly back, but usually she tries to "ignore" it at first. Often instead of hitting back she usually tries to pry Lilly's hand off of the toy in question. Lately she's been hugging the heck out of Lilly - in a good way. Just today I saw them both sitting on the floor and Sophia was hugging her sister with a grin on her face and closed eyes. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen.
Today Sophia went into Lilly's room and took this dollhouse. She brought it downstairs and started to play with it. Lilly wasn't going to stand for that! She marched right over to Sophia and pushed and pinched her. She had to sit in a time out.
Lilly was hitting me in the face today while we were in Target and no matter what I said to her she just wouldn't stop. She was frustrated because I wouldn't let her walk, but when I do she runs off and pulls things off the racks. She threw a fit about sitting in the cart so I was forced to carry her. She was arching her back and wriggling to get away from me and yelling NO. Talk about making a scene.
Her behavior has been really bad lately, but then again, she will be 2 in a month. I think she's going to be a pistol by the time she's 2 and 1/2.
I finally had a chance to copy Sophia's Nutcrakcer dance recital from the DVD to my computer. So, now I can share it. Take a look at how adorable she is. She's on the left and Haley is on the right.
Lilly can finally say Sophia. She started saying it yesterday. It sounds so cute when she says it. She still calls her SIA and SOSIA too. My little baby is growing up!
Other things she is saying:
POOPY IN THERE (She says this every single morning when I change her diaper whether she actually has a poopy or not.
TOO HOT (She's progressed from SSS HOT to this)
UH OH MOM MILKSHAKE MESS (She said this today after she got her milkshake all over the front of her shirt in the carseat. She was right, what a mess.)
Lilly's language is progressing quite nicely. She repeats every word that we teach her, but it's not perfectly clear. Some of her favorite things to say right now are:
SO SIA (Sophia)
HI BUDDY (Will says this to her.)
PEAS (Please)
SS HOT (It's hot. She learned this one from SO SIA)
Last week Sophia and I were chatting and she asked me why I always sleep with Daddy. I explained to her it was because we are married and that we will always sleep together. I told her that someday she would get married and before I could say she would sleep with her husband every night she jumped in and said TO UNCLE ROB!
Ironically, I remember a time when Terra had a crush on him and also wanted to marry Uncle Rob.
Well, we saw the Greatest Show on Earth yesterday afternoon complete with elephants, trapeze artists, tightrope walkers, stilt-walkers, contortionists, the world's strongest man, tigers, llamas & ponies, a dog and tons of really odd clowns. These weren't your run-of-the-mill everyday clowns. No, these ones were skinny and most were dressed like punk rockers or super heroes. If you haven't guessed by now I'm talking about the Ringling Bros. Barnum Bailey Circus. The girls absolutely loved it.
We had great seats. We sat with Haley and Carlie's family and the two big girls sat next to each other in the middle. When they weren't struck with awe, they were bouncing out of their seats. We were at eye level with the action so they could see everything that was going on in front and above them. Sophia's favorite act was the shaggy "doggies", but Will and I think they were shaggy Chinese dragons. I think Lilly liked cuddling with one of us for the entire show better than the actual show itself.
The girls shared a "large" cotton candy and Sophia picked out a white plastic horse souvenir to bring home. The horse looks like she's been plucked straight from a carousel ride. She's the spitting image of one. She even has a pink plume on her head. Lilly didn't get anything this time, but if she would have complained about it we probably would have bought her something too.
The show lasted for two and a half hours and even though we truly enjoyed ourselves I think we were all glad when the Greatest Show on Earth was over.
Ms. Laura is our "nanny" when we can't find any of our neighborhood girls to babysit the kids. She's pricey, but she's worth it if you need her to drive your kids somewhere or make them meals, etc. She has even done the laundry for me. A welcomed change to the teen-aged baby sitters who don't even clean up after themselves. Ms. Laura watched Sophia while I was in the hospital having Lilly.
Well, Ms. Laura invited us to her customer appreciation party this week. It was from 3:30 - 6. She had an egg hunt for the kids in her front yard, bubbles, and dinner for the kiddos and for the moms.
Sophia and Lilly really enjoyed themselves. Sophia couldn't get enough of Ms. Laura and literally followed her around telling her random stories and showing off a bit. Lilly just stood around taking it all in, not too far away from me.
Haley and Carlie were born 2 years and 1 day apart so they shared a birthday party this year. Sophia and Lilly will also be sharing their birthday party celebration. They are going to host a princess tea party.
In this photo from left to right is a random girl in Haley's class, Haley, Addie, and Sophia. Cameron was also at the party, but not in this photo.
Haley and Carlie's mom, Michelle, rented 2 ponies and a small petting zoo (2 chickens, a goat, and a rabbit). Lilly loved riding the ponies. Sophia rode one time and then didn't want to do anymore.
They also had a bounce house set up for the kids. They have a swing set built for two in the backyard and both of my girls love to swing so we spent quite a bit of time on the swings.
When it was time for cake Sophia asked for chocolate AND vanilla. Lilly poked holes in her piece of chocolate cake, but she still managed to eat half of it.
Sophia is growing like a weed! Shirts, skirts, dresses and even pants that fit her in the fall no longer fit. She needs an entire new spring wardrobe, but that's ok because she loves clothes and I have fun shopping with her. This is one of her new shirts and I just love the color on her.
Sophia has been getting more and more confident in her soccer skills and she's actually starting to participate in the games after Coach Carl coaxes her at least 10 minutes. (smile)
This past Saturday our game was at 11:30. We played the Strikers. Nobody wins, nobody loses, in fact, nobody even scores in the right goal. Sophia's team is the Bears. She doesn't like her team name. She's #6.
I think she has more fun in the practices doing drills and running around cones, etc. Lilly actually tries her hardest to participate in the practices. She runs onto the field whenever she gets the chance.
At the game on Saturday Lilly was playing with Carlie at first and then she moved on to playing Duck Duck Goose with me. She was literally running circles around me laughing the whole time. She was having a blast.
The second time Sophia went into the game she held hands with Addie the entire time. She could have cared less if there was a game going on or not. It was cute.
Last Tuesday before Grancy arrived we had a playdate at our house and invited Haley and Carlie over to play. They always end up playing dress up and they always have popsicles.
Easter weekend was packed full to the brim with activities for the kids. I kind of felt bad that Rob and Christina arrived on Thursday night and by 10 on Friday morning the girls and I were heading out of the house for an Easter party at the Rec Center.
When we got to the Rec Center Sophia and Lilly immediately wanted to play the games that were set up. For the most part the games were variations of the bean bag 'throw it in a small hole' game.
Both girls got their faces painted. Lilly got a chick (so cute) and Sophia got a bunny. Take a look at how much fun Sophia had going down the slide of the inflatable bounce house.
After about 30 minutes of "free play" we sat down for a snack (animal cookies/apple juice) and a craft. Each girl made an Easter egg magnet for the frig. Then the Easter Bunny arrived and led a line of excited toddlers outside where eggs were hidden all over the yard. So much preparation goes into egg hunts, but they only last for a few minutes. The grand finale of the whole event was that each kid got a turn to have their picture taken with the Bunny. There was no way Lilly was going to get near him! Sophia ran right over and tried to get to the front of the line.
The girls plopped right down in the grass to empty their baskets and check out their loot. Sophia only like regular Hershey's chocolate. Lilly will eat any darn piece of candy she can get her hands on. Take a look at the photos.
After the party I left to take Sophia to school where she was having another Easter party/egg hunt. At school she had to find only the eggs with her name written on them. How clever. As soon as I dropped her off at school I went to meet Rob and Christina for lunch. We sat outside because the weather was so nice.
I picked Sophia up from school at 3 and the minute she got home she wouldn't leave Christina alone. She would put on one show after the next. She even changed into her fancy dress so Christina would admire her style. Rob and Christina brought tons of presents for the girls so this made Sophia and Lilly very happy. Sophia had on her apron set last night as she made PlayDoh soup with the neighbor girl! YUCK!!
We basically hung out around the house until Will came home from work and the babysitter came to watch the girls so we could meet our kickball team and pick up our shirts. We went to the bar/restaurant, Shorebreak, that sponsors our kickball league. We had a good time, but an early night.
On Saturday the guys played golf in the morning while Christina and I did some baking and cooking (and watching the girls). When the guys came home they were hell-bent on getting Will a PS3 (or whatever the latest PlayStation is now) and a few games. Will treated himself with some of the money that he won from his award. So we girls headed to the beach. It was absolutely freezing compared to the day before and the following day to be quite honest. When we got into the car the temperature read 57 degrees and the wind was whipping across the water. Sophia didn't seem to notice the cold weather and even managed to get wet up to her knees. The water was really cold.
That night we got a sitter again and went out to a Japanese Steak House for dinner. Everyone had hibachi and I had sushi. Delicious.
On Sunday morning the girls found their Easter baskets that the Easter bunny filled and hid the night before while the girls were sleeping. Then Christina came to church with us. Well, I should say the us girls because Will and Rob stayed home (surprise, surprise). The girls went into their classrooms and Christina and I lead the Pee Wee Fellowship which basically meant that we supervised the kids while they played. The girls looked absolutely adorable in their lavender dresses. The sun definitely washed out the color of the dresses in the photos. Take a look.
We went over to a neighbor's house for Easter linner (something between lunch and dinner). When we left there we drove down to the beach to play miniature golf. I can't even remember who won the game. I'm sure it was either Rob or Will. Sophia did great dragging the ball into the hole with her club.
Uncle Rob and Christina left on Monday and, just like when Grancy left only a few days before, she was terribly sad. She said a few times that she wished Uncle Rob and Christina were still here.
Will won an award at work. He was one of six individuals all over the country and in Europe that won. It's called the Unsung Hero Award. He was basically honored for being a multi-headed dragon that can solve problems that nobody else even comprehends that exist. In other words, he's the man!
They took a video of him at work to play at the awards ceremony and they used one of several photos that I shot of him. They were variations of this one picture.
The awards ceremony and the dinner reception were held on Wednesday night of this week and since he was staying in a hotel room, we decided to go up to Northern Va with him. I wasn't part of the events at all, but I got to take the girls shopping and we played in the play area at the mall for a while, I bought them some frozen yogurt and then we rode on a train. We had a great time. When we finally checked into the hotel at 3:00 Sophia asked a million questions. (Why is there a desk in the room? Who is going to sit in this chair? Which bed is for daddy?)
The kids stayed at Grancy and Big Daddy's house and Will and I spent the night at the hotel alone. We had a few drinks with the other award winners and then we ran into one of our friends from VA Beach. How ironic...
Anyway, Sophia had a splendid time with Grancy. Big Daddy had a tea party with her in the AM before he went to work. She's still talking about her vacation to their house and how she wishes she could live there instead of our house.
Last week Grancy stopped by for a night on her way back from visiting Claire in Savannah. Grancy has been coming to visit us around Easter time during her spring break since Sophia was one. Each time we decorate Easter eggs. The first year we went to visit the Easter bunny together too.
This time we had to figure out how to remove the dye from Sophia's hands because she was getting her picture taken at school that afternoon. A combination of shampoo, sugar & oil, and vinegar did the trick.
Sophia isn't allowed into the gym during Lilly's class because it's for kids Lilly's age. As the older sibling she has to play in the waiting area. They have a table and chairs, tons of books, some extra large stuffed characters and a few other things to occupy her time. I can see her and talk to her the entire time so she doesn't feel so completely left out.
Lilly really likes the instructor-lead portion of the class. She enjoys doing the exercises. She likes to listen up close to the story. I can't really tell if she enjoys the free play portions.
On Thursday afternoons I've been taking both girls for an open free play hour. Sophia runs around, jumps all over the place, shouts with excitement, and has a fantastic time. Lilly mostly likes me to hold her. She certainly doesn't run around like all the other kids and of course Sophia must be "on stage" for me the entire time so I've got to follow her around the gym watching and applauding her every move. Don't get me wrong, I do love giving her my devoted attention, but I'd like to give Lilly more attention than she gets when Sophia is around competing for it.
Wow. It's been a fantastic March. About 31 days ago I was dreading the month of March, but I have to admit that it's been a completely wonderful month. The weather was incredible 90% of the time. That makes a huge difference if you ask me.
We had a great month in other ways too. Sophia started soccer started and Will and Sophia started going to the pool on a regular basis. Lilly started her My Gym class. Grancy came for a visit and so did Big Daddy! I completed the Shamrock 1/2 marathon and Will was named 1 of 5 Unsung Heros at work. The ceremony is next week and we'll find out more then. Congrats to us.
So, March, I actually look forward to you next year.
I took Sophia to church last Sunday because the annual Easter egg hunt was planned after the service. Lillian wasn't feeling well so she stayed home with Will. He was a bit disappointed because it was the last day of his staycation and he wanted to go to the pool and mow the grass. Sometimes kid duty calls.
The eggs were scattered in plain sight all over the yard and each kid was allowed to "find" 10 eggs. Honestly, Sophia would have been thrilled with just 5.
On Saturday Sophia wasn't feeling well so I took Lilly to the annual Easter egg hunt at Addie's church. Sophia and her friends have attended this fun event the last 2 years together so I was bummed that she had to miss this year.
Lilly wasn't herself that day. I really tried hard to get a picture of her smiling, but she was somber and a bit sluggish. Turns out she got sick the next day. Hmmm. Regardless she still had a good time and collected a ton of eggs. Lilly got her hands on a few stickers and plastered them all over an Easter egg and then she decorated a cookie on a stick with her friend Carlie. Wanna see all the somber pictures? Click here.
This is what Sophia looks like in the car. As soon as we get her buckled in she wants her headphones. She's currently watching The Wiggles Wiggly Wiggly Christmas and has been for about 2 weeks. She's a creature of habit if nothing else.
Lilly gets to watch the movie, but she doesn't have the privilege of headphones yet. She just doesn't know how to wear them. I can broadcast the sound throughout the car, but then I have to listen to it too so I don't do it very often.
I am now officially Mama. Will is still Daddy or Dad, but I think Mama is going to stick for me. 
Yesterday Sophia invited me to her moon picnic. Don't ask me what a moon picnic is. It was the same as a regular picnic. (smile) Sophia set up a blanket in the entry hall and brought three of her "friends" - Dora, Polka Dot Puppy from Aunt Carole, and Doc. 
We went to the playground on Tuesday with Haley and Carlie. All the girls had a great time. The weather was gorgeous - in the low 70s. We packed a picnic lunch and then let the girls play. Lilly and Carlie are becoming great friends.
The girls like to fight. Mostly they fight over toys. Sometimes when Lilly is tired she'll just walk up to Sophia and hit her. She'll hit her in the head, arm, chest, leg, etc. She's not picky. This blurry photo may look like Sophia is picking on Lilly, but really it's the other way around. 
Today Sophia went into Lilly's room and took this dollhouse. She brought it downstairs and started to play with it. Lilly wasn't going to stand for that! She marched right over to Sophia and pushed and pinched her. She had to sit in a time out. 
Lilly can finally say Sophia. She started saying it yesterday. It sounds so cute when she says it. She still calls her SIA and SOSIA too. My little baby is growing up!
It looks like this Kodak moment caught Sophia in the act of bullying Coach Carl's son! She is the tallest kid on the team (and probably the youngest).
Ms. Laura is our "nanny" when we can't find any of our neighborhood girls to babysit the kids. She's pricey, but she's worth it if you need her to drive your kids somewhere or make them meals, etc. She has even done the laundry for me. A welcomed change to the teen-aged baby sitters who don't even clean up after themselves. Ms. Laura watched Sophia while I was in the hospital having Lilly.
Haley and Carlie were born 2 years and 1 day apart so they shared a birthday party this year. Sophia and Lilly will also be sharing their birthday party celebration. They are going to host a princess tea party.
Haley and Carlie's mom, Michelle, rented 2 ponies and a small petting zoo (2 chickens, a goat, and a rabbit). Lilly loved riding the ponies. Sophia rode one time and then didn't want to do anymore. 
Sophia is growing like a weed! Shirts, skirts, dresses and even pants that fit her in the fall no longer fit. She needs an entire new spring wardrobe, but that's ok because she loves clothes and I have fun shopping with her. This is one of her new shirts and I just love the color on her.
Sophia has been getting more and more confident in her soccer skills and she's actually starting to participate in the games after Coach Carl coaxes her at least 10 minutes. (smile)
At the game on Saturday Lilly was playing with Carlie at first and then she moved on to playing Duck Duck Goose with me. She was literally running circles around me laughing the whole time. She was having a blast. 
See all the photos from the game.
Last Tuesday before Grancy arrived we had a playdate at our house and invited Haley and Carlie over to play. They always end up playing dress up and they always have popsicles.
Easter weekend was packed full to the brim with activities for the kids. I kind of felt bad that Rob and Christina arrived on Thursday night and by 10 on Friday morning the girls and I were heading out of the house for an Easter party at the Rec Center. 
After about 30 minutes of "free play" we sat down for a snack (animal cookies/apple juice) and a craft. Each girl made an Easter egg magnet for the frig. Then the Easter Bunny arrived and led a line of excited toddlers outside where eggs were hidden all over the yard. So much preparation goes into egg hunts, but they only last for a few minutes. The grand finale of the whole event was that each kid got a turn to have their picture taken with the Bunny. There was no way Lilly was going to get near him! Sophia ran right over and tried to get to the front of the line.
After the party I left to take Sophia to school where she was having another Easter party/egg hunt. At school she had to find only the eggs with her name written on them. How clever. As soon as I dropped her off at school I went to meet Rob and Christina for lunch. We sat outside because the weather was so nice. 
On Saturday the guys played golf in the morning while Christina and I did some baking and cooking (and watching the girls). When the guys came home they were hell-bent on getting Will a PS3 (or whatever the latest PlayStation is now) and a few games. Will treated himself with some of the money that he won from his award. So we girls headed to the beach. It was absolutely freezing compared to the day before and the following day to be quite honest. When we got into the car the temperature read 57 degrees and the wind was whipping across the water. Sophia didn't seem to notice the cold weather and even managed to get wet up to her knees. The water was really cold. 
On Sunday morning the girls found their Easter baskets that the Easter bunny filled and hid the night before while the girls were sleeping. Then Christina came to church with us. Well, I should say the us girls because Will and Rob stayed home (surprise, surprise). The girls went into their classrooms and Christina and I lead the Pee Wee Fellowship which basically meant that we supervised the kids while they played. The girls looked absolutely adorable in their lavender dresses. The sun definitely washed out the color of the dresses in the photos. Take a look. 
Will won an award at work. He was one of six individuals all over the country and in Europe that won. It's called the Unsung Hero Award. He was basically honored for being a multi-headed dragon that can solve problems that nobody else even comprehends that exist. In other words, he's the man! 
Last week Grancy stopped by for a night on her way back from visiting Claire in Savannah. Grancy has been coming to visit us around Easter time during her spring break since Sophia was one. Each time we decorate Easter eggs. The first year we went to visit the Easter bunny together too.
I usually write the blog based on the photos that I've taken because then I know what happened first, etc...
Sophia isn't allowed into the gym during Lilly's class because it's for kids Lilly's age. As the older sibling she has to play in the waiting area. They have a table and chairs, tons of books, some extra large stuffed characters and a few other things to occupy her time. I can see her and talk to her the entire time so she doesn't feel so completely left out. 
I took Sophia to church last Sunday because the annual Easter egg hunt was planned after the service. Lillian wasn't feeling well so she stayed home with Will. He was a bit disappointed because it was the last day of his staycation and he wanted to go to the pool and mow the grass. Sometimes kid duty calls. 
On Saturday Sophia wasn't feeling well so I took Lilly to the annual Easter egg hunt at Addie's church. Sophia and her friends have attended this fun event the last 2 years together so I was bummed that she had to miss this year. 
This is what Sophia looks like in the car. As soon as we get her buckled in she wants her headphones. She's currently watching The Wiggles Wiggly Wiggly Christmas and has been for about 2 weeks. She's a creature of habit if nothing else. 
