One Proud Mommy!!!

B,H,D,B,B,T,H,T!!!!!!!! Aubrey wrote all these letters on her coloring page this morning. Sure it might not be a big deal to you, but to those blood related readers out there it is huge!!! She has shown interest in learning her stick letters like I and H, but hasn't even wanted to try letters that loop around. Go figure, like everything this girl does, she learns in private and then shows off her success! I am so proud! It is just another gentle reminder that our time together at home is short and we need to make the most of it.

Walmart... Not A Fan

So I decided to hit up Walmart today. I needed groceries and a few other items like diapers and a lemon zester so I decided Walmart was my best option. They don't have "kids carts" so I started with Ainsley in the body of the cart and Aubrey in the child spot. Ainsley had a good time stacking yogurts and holding the lemon, it wasn't too bad. But I soon filled the cart and had to take Ainsley out. So Aubrey got out too. They did well sticking with me. Ainsley only wandered off a few times, but always came back. But I digress. So Walmart was out of "zesters" and I couldn't find the Children's Tylenol which I also needed. Then during checkout I had to lock Ainsley into the child's seat and Aubrey spilled a snack bag of cheerios on the floor, and one of my yogurts hit the ground and burst open...everywhere. The lady behind me actually gave me an "I feel so sorry for you" look. Okay, I guess it was just the last five minutes that sucked, but man it ruined the whole trip. On the way home I told Aubrey that she drives me crazy. She said, and I quote, "I'm sorry about that. Driving you crazy is against the rules. I forgot." I didn't know that I had given a rule about that, but I guess I did. So at least I got a good laugh on the drive home!

Ahhh...better!

June has been located. She was hiding under the blanket chest in the guest bedroom. Big smiles were shared by all and June is back in her rightful place inside of rocket.

I'm Obsessed!

No, no, it's not another Twilight post. Although as obsessions go, that one is much more enjoyable. Ainsley got a Little Einstein's toy for Christmas and the girl characters have been missing all month. We haven't seen Annie since the Superbowl and June has been missing a little longer. The girls (I) keep the toys pretty organized, so this is really annoying. How can we properly go on a mission with only Leo and Quincy? Who will sing in the microphone? Who will teach us a dance to help rocket along? It's just tragic!

Today I decided to find our missing friends. I was sure they would have turned up by now, but no. I found Annie (and several other toys) in the couch cushions (contents pictured). Why was there a marker in the couch cushions? Anyway, finding Annie gave me hope. Surely June couldn't be too far away. I have been searching for June for a full hour and NOTHING. I've checked couch cushions, toy boxes, purses, dress-up bins, under beds, dresser drawers, under mattresses, and bathroom drawers. Has Katschai the Ogre trapped her in a cage? Does the Bad Knight have her locked in a tower? Has the Grumpy Wizard cast a sleeping spell on her? I just don't know! I'm sorry June. We are trying to find you, but this is a really tough mission.

I have to wirte this stuff down

Aubrey is so much fun. She likes to tell me that "She has a secret for me." But won't tell me until certain conditions are met. By then she usually forgets what the secret was. Today the secret was her angel stamp she got for saying her memory verse. If we go to the library, she needs to read her book in a rocking chair before we leave. She doesn't like to wear her sweatshirt indoors. Why? It is covering her outfit. I was like this through my early 20's! She loves to sing, but only with a selective audience, because she is shy. If there is dessert in the house she will tell us the conditions she will meet to get some. "When I eat a good dinner, I will have one of those cupcakes on the counter." If she is still hungry at a meal time she tells us that she isn't full to the top yet. Then shows us how full she is by placing her hand on her tummy, chest, or neck. I am really enjoying the age that she is at. She cracks me up and fills our home with Joy. I hope you enjoy a picture from the vault. It's been awhile since I've taken any pictures.

One of those days

Yes, it is one of those days. My kids are not getting along so well. Actually Ainsley doesn't want to play with Aubrey, so Aubrey continues to aggravate Ainsley (and me) until she gets a big reaction. It has already been a very long day and it is only 1pm.

Independently Minded Kid

My little fashionista, Aubrey, picks out her daily outfit. In fact, if I pick something out she throws a fit and won't accept my choice. She even wants to pick out Ainsley's clothes, and my clothes, and sometimes Mike's. It's hilarious. But now Ainsley wants to pick out her outfit or jammies too, and they don't always agree on what Ainsley should wear. I need to find a way to channel this positive independence in new ways, like cleaning her room, or picking up toys, or other independently minded things.

Postless

I don't really have anything significant to post. Well, I rarely have anything significant to post, but I will post a few random things about the kids.

-Ainsley has fallen out of her toddler bed twice. That makes her very unhappy.

-Aubrey has chapped wrists. Yes, chapped wrists! I think it is from her sleeves getting wet when she washes her hands and then having wet shirt rubbing against her skin.

-Ainsley is showing interest in potty training again.

-Aubrey has been letting me style her hair before we go places. It's like having a life size cabbage patch kid. Woohoo!

Not a happy camper

Grrr! I helped out today in a kids class at my Bible Study. One of the teachers ended up leaving with the stomach flu halfway through. Nice. She said she had been sick, but thought she was well enough to come. I really don't want the flu! That being said, I am sure it would boost my weight loss for the week. No, that's crazy, I don't want the flu. Nor do I want any member of my family to get it. Ugh.

And the winner is...

ME! I've lost 5 percent of my body weight in 6 weeks by eating dinners like this. I am super excited and feeling pretty successful. Don't worry, not all my dinners look like this, I do eat my share of carbs, I just tend to use them up before dinner rolls around. Yesterday we had a potluck before Bible Study. I had a piece of cornbread with butter, 2 cookies, and a piece of chocolate along with my salad (9 points total). I felt so sick and was zapped of energy for hours. I'm starting to think there is something to all the stuff I hear of the evils of sugar and white flours. It's also pretty amazing to have my skinny jeans (what I call them, not actual skinny jeans) be loose enough to NEED a belt. Speaking of belts, I am down two notches on mine. Can you tell I am excited??? I am.

Happy Valentine's Day

This is as close as we could get to a family picture. Mike called us up yesterday to ask his three favorite girls out on a date. We had breakfast out this morning and then did a little clearance shopping at Kohl's. We're back at home and looking forward to spending a quiet Valentine's Day at home.

I've been replaced

Aubrey has taken over. Huh? The last few weeks she has been parenting Ainsley and she only asks for my intervention when a diaper needs to be changed or they get hungry. Here's how this morning went.
6:45 Aubrey comes into my bedroom to tell me Ainsley is awake and trying to open her door. I let Aubrey open Ainsley's door. They begin talking immediately and seem to have forgotten that I'm there to get Ainsley's diaper off.
7:00 They watch a show while sipping on their milk and eating dry cereal.
7:30 Aubrey heads upstairs to wake Mike up for work.
8:00 Mike gets them breakfast while I have my Thursday morning chat with Tammi.
8:20 They head upstairs to get dressed, I have to stop them because it's bath day and I want to do that first. They play for a little bit while I do a few things around the house.
9:00 Bath, I got to do this, Aubrey gets kicked out of the bath for "rinsing" Ainsley's hair. AKA pouring water all over her head.
9:30 They totally ditch me to play independently upstairs with a closed door. I am told to leave whenever I check on them.
10:15 Aubrey comes downstairs to get a toy and tells me, "We're not hungry yet, so you stay down here, we'll come down later."
11:00 It was later, all of a sudden I am needed for milk, lunch, and diaper duty. After lunch, Aubrey reads books to Ainsley.
12:00 I put on Curious George. Ainsley gets her "Bible Study" and sits on the couch "reading" in deep concentration. I ask what she is doing. "I'm doing Bible Study while my Ainsee watches George." Ummm... that's my line!
1:00 Aubrey burst into tears when I put Ainsley down for her nap because she wanted to do it.

I was told that something clicks in kids when they turn 3.5 and they become super independent. It didn't seem likely that would happen to Aubrey. Well, I was wrong and part of her independence seems to be raising my baby girl for me. I'm not sure what I think about all this, but it sure is nice to be able to scrub a bathroom without being interrupted every two minutes.

Big Girl Bed, Kinda

I scored a toddler bed at a consignment store for $25 yesterday! One night sleep and one nap down, the rest to go.

I guess I'm it!

I was tagged in one of those blogging chain letters of sorts. So here it is, the fourth picture, in the fourth folder stored on my computer. Ironically, the picture was downloaded on Ainsley's Birth Day, so Aubrey is about 22 months old in this picture. Ainsley is 22 month old currently and outgrew that shirt about 6 months ago. She has a torso that won't quit! I'm not tagging anyone, the chain stops with me. :)

Sisters

These kids love each other so much. I have to remind myself of that when there is a mean moment between them, but really, the love far out weighs the sibling nonsense that transpires. This was a rare morning, where Ainsley woke up first. I got Ainsley out of her crib and changed her diaper. Ainsley kept asking "Where's Aubrey? Aubrey awake too? I see her?" I told her that Aubrey was still asleep and we would see her in a little bit. Ainsley said "I get her now." and bolted from her room. She ran to Aubrey's room and started slamming her hands against the door yelling "See Aubrey." Oh my goodness, not cool, but so cute. I opened Aubrey's door and Ainsley ran in, climbed into Aubrey's bed, and said "Wake up Aubrey!" Aubrey was NOT happy about this and told us she wanted to lay there a little longer. This announcement was met by big tears from Ainsley. It was the sweetest thing. Ainsley is going to hate Aubrey going to pre-school next year.

Seven

Well, we did it. Mike and I have been married seven years!!! Time really does fly. My goal is to take a picture or two with my hubby tonight. We get about two of those taken a year, so I figure we should start while the year is still fresh. (hey look, we added a picture. It was after two martini's so...) Here are seven tidbits from our seven years.

• We've lived in two apartments, one townhouse, and one house. Two in Tustin, two in Castle Rock.
• We've attended three churches, been involved in two.
• We've vacationed in Hawaii, Cancun, the Caribbean, Holden Beach, and Colorado. Of course Colorado was more like a scouting expedition than a vacation. We've also taken long weekends in San Diego, Solvang, and Beaver Creek.
• We've grown our family twice.
  
• We've shrunk our family by two rats, a frog, and a cat.
• We've had 5 cars. One was sold, two were totaled (we each get credit for one of those), and two we currently own and drive.
• Now that Aubrey is 3 years, 8 months old, we have officially been married longer with kids than without.

Hey, I know it is our Anniversary and probably not yours, but take some time and tell your loved one that you appreciate them today. You have been through a lot together and I bet the best is yet to come!!! Oh, and before I forget, I love you honey! You make the world go round!!!

Being Intentional, Me

Three of the four of us are skipping church this morning. Mainly, it's because Ainsley has been complaining non-stop about having stomach pain, and the last time she did that she threw up all over her crib. Aubrey and I both had a stomach issue earlier this week, and I don't think the nursery workers would appreciate that type of diaper change this morning anyway. So here I sit watching Veggie Tales (that's almost as good as church) and thinking about having another cup of coffee. It calls to me people!

So anyway, I have completed 4 weeks on weight watchers and have lost 7 pounds. The next 7 will be a lot harder. It's probably been 5 years since I weighed this amount and at the time I was training for a half marathon hoping to take off 5 pounds before getting pregnant. Most of you know how the story goes, instead of finishing training and running the half, I got pregnant and never lost those 5 pounds.

These five pounds are pretty evil, I gained them after totaling my Saturn and having such a wretched case of whip lash that I didn't exercise for six months, while the chiropractor strapped weights to my neck to get my spine back where it should be. NOT. FUN. These five pounds meant going up a pants size, noticing fat in places I never had it before, and hitting a new number on the scale that was higher than it had ever been. I can remember that feeling. It sucked, and once I was able to exercise again, they never came off, even when I was running close to 20 miles a week.

Of course I am older and wiser now and understand something I didn't then. Running insane distances makes you hungry, really hungry, so if you want to lose weight, you need to monitor what you put in your mouth. I think the word for this is "discipline." Yuck! So the next few pounds that I lose are going to be happy happy pounds. I will gladly kiss them goodbye and shove them out the door.

My goal for this week is to move my butt. I hope to be intentional about exercise 3 times this week. I don't think I will be able to make it to the rec center, but hopefully I can get motivated here at home. I will be pretty bummed if the scale doesn't move next Sunday so I want to do whatever I can to help it along. I'm really excited about making it to my goal by Ainsley's 2nd Birthday, which is in April.

Where' s the hidden camera? This has to be a practical joke!

this is what they look like without proper sleep!

Pure nap time craziness over here today. Aubrey didn't take one, my very tired, loves to sleep daughter, didn't nap. This has been happening more and more around here, I guess it is just a bi-product of her being closer to 4 than 3, but it makes for a long afternoon. She did hang out in her room for nearly and hour and half though. But Ainsley, of Ainsley, I have no idea what was happening with that kid. She doesn't cry when you put her in her crib. She simply tells you that she loves you and sucks her thumb until sleep sets in. Not so much today. She was irrational and insistent about being rocked in the rocking chair. After 45 minutes, and several failed attempts to get her in her crib by both Mike and myself, she was out cold on my shoulder and I was able to transfer into her crib like a little baby. What??? I am hoping she just needed a little TLC today and that she hasn't decided that this would be a better way to settle into sleep. My compassion is pretty scarce, so I wouldn't put any money on her having a similar bedtime experience tonight.

On a happier note, Mike got up with the kids this morning and I woke up to the amazing aroma of coffee brewing. I kinda wish he had to be at work earlier, that was awesome!!!

More Randomness

On the way home from Bible Study this morning I asked Aubrey what she learned about. She paused, pondered, and said, "I don't know, Jesus or something like that." It cracked me up. How many times do I leave church and can't really remember what was taught, or at least not enough to fully share it with someone who wasn't there. It was probably about Jesus though. For the record, their lesson today was on Jesus as a friend and that we are called to love one another. They also made sheep masks, because Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

Along the same line, I am so thankful for Aubrey's teachers. This is her first experience with "school" and it couldn't be any better. Aubrey tells me that she loves her teachers and cannot wait to go to school and see them. Ahhh... I hope she feels the same way next year when she is going to school more than one day a week.

At the park yesterday, Ainsley managed to flip over her feet three different times on different slides and ride down on her face. These slides were really fast and she was using her shoe to regulate her speed, apparently if you are going fast and put your rubber sole down, you just flip over. It was really scary, for me, not her. She was having a blast!

Mike left a can of cheese whiz on the counter last night. It has been taunting me all day, but I persevered. I love all things cheese, and that is one of the biggest sacrifices with losing weight/keeping it off.

Talking about cheese made me hungry. I'm off to heat up dinner and steam some veggies!

Balance

Yesterday I was a wife. I did laundry, lots and lots of laundry. I cleaned/organized the laundry room, meal planned, grocery shopped, made lasagna (always seems like an act of love to me), kept up with the dishes, and the kitchen was just as clean at bedtime as it had been in the morning. I was a great wife yesterday. Of course my kids were wonderful yesterday and played independently from the time they woke up until nap time, each took a three hour nap and then were pretty amazing right up until bedtime. It made the wife role pretty easy!!!

Today I am a mother. After breakfast we had baths, found pink things to wear, each girl had a hair style (simple, but still fixed), we went to the library, signed up for the new Reading Program, participated in story time, stopped at the park on the way home, had a picnic lunch in the backyard, and played, played, played! Unfortunately I still have dishes in the sink, there are lots of things littering my living room and kitchen floor, and I would be mortified if someone dropped in for a visit.

Now I just need to figure out how to combine the two and I can be a good wife and a good mother at the same time!

this makes it all worth it

A few days ago we were playing in the backyard and out of the blue Aubrey tells me that "Ainsley is her best." I asked, "Your best what?" To which Aubrey responds, "My best friend, I like her the most." Ahhh... I thought my heart was going to leap right out of my chest.