A Time to Shine

We had the girls' dance recital a few weeks ago and I'm still waiting on the 'professional' video, so I didn't take any video of the day. I did however, remember to record one of their last class sessions. One of the things I LOVE about the studio they take classes at, is that the instructor gives each child a time to shine in her own way. This is illustrated by their 'spotlight' dance at the end of each class. She lets them dance, for as long as they want, all by themselves, while everyone else cheers them on. She ends the dance with a big hug from her and a big hug from mom! Too cute!

Dance Camp-Take 2

We were scheduled for a Back to Nature camp through the Y last week, but it got cancelled, so I scrambled around to find a different camp for the girls since I worked most of the week. A friend was scheduled to attend a different dance studio's "Intro to Dance" camp, so we jumped on board! The girls did tap, ballet, hip-hop and poms everyday and seemed to really like it. They had quite the stage fright during the final performance in the park, but were proud of each other regardless of the outcome. If you have a hard time spotting them in the different numbers, they are typically the farthest away from the other as they can be. It's a long video, so I'm impressed if you make it through and aren't one of the grandmas :-)

Sunday Drive....

I'm not sure there is anything better than the sweet sound of a baby or child laughing. Some days, I find myself going back and watching old videos on the blog of the girls when the were little, laughing out loud, like this one. You just want to bottle it and bring it out on one of those really rotten, no good days. Their laughs have changed and they've become giggly little girls. This videos is one of my favorites as it captures their personalities and their laughs! Enjoy...

Recital 2011

I remember "The Good Ship Lollipop" and "Monster Mash" and "Born in the USA". They were all songs from my recital days. I remember the stage and the lights. I wasn't any good, but it was fun and I remember feeling special. Hopefully, down the road the girls will remember "Alice and Wonderland" and feeling special. Hopefully they won't remember the "costumes with Playboy undertones" that my husband mentioned or that my wise-motherly words right before they went on stage were: "Please don't pick your nose." But, hey, we had lowered our expectations after Recital 2010 .

Jeremy isn't winning any videography awards, they were apart on stage and hard to film, but the pictures are priceless! The bottom-line, they made us so proud!

Interview with Addy

Hilarious Dance Party

Princess Video

Okay, I know I'm biased, but this is hilarious! We enrolled back in dance class for the fall and the girls LOVE it. Now granted, they take a while to warm up and I think they have my same idea as far as a musical beat, but seriously, could it be any cuter? Be on the look-out for the number of times Lilly tries to hold Addy's hand and Addy totally blows her off. Also, note how difficult it is to spin around without letting go of your friend's hand :-) Enjoy!

Guest Blogger-Aunt Cat Visits

Mommy Dearest--Growing up I always felt that, between my sister and me, I was the melodramatic one. My thinking changed during this visit when my sister stopped the car on the side of the road, got out and proceeded to unleash the mommy dearest fury on Addy for taking her seat belt off. This was a Mommy Dearest moment. It wasn't the first or the last I witnessed, a few more occurred during this visit. I adore my nieces, but they do know how to bring out the crazy in people. It's because of the crazy that I started to understand having the Mommy Dearest moments, because, I admit, I had one too.

A & L were fighting non-stop over this awfully loud karaoke-type-toy, accusing each other of taking their turn on the machine. I took the karaoke machine and yelled that I was going to throw it in the trash if they couldn't share. Not my finest "fun aunt" moment, for a minute, I turned into Mommy Dearest. Later in the week, Aimee's friend Jenny visited from North Carolina and shared in the Mommy Dearest moments, threatening to take the car through the car-wash (something the girls hate) if they couldn't behave in the car. Perhaps we all have a little Mommy Dearest inside? Living with 2-year-olds can't be all parks and playgrounds.

All-in-all Aimee & Jeremy have the patience of saints, I'm so impressed for their tolerance for how LOUD this house can get. I love visiting my nieces, but there were certain points during this last visit, I felt like I was on SURVIVOR--more accurately, I felt like I was losing SURVIVOR.

I am a really proud Aunt...the girls are completely potty-trained (accident free during my visit). They are smart, inquisitive, so bright, and, of course, loud. They are amazing swimmers, showing no fear in the water. Lilly is a force to be reckoned with and is so stubborn. I am not sure I'll be visiting during the teenage years--it terrifies me to think about! There is no way Lilly is ever not going to do exactly what she wants when she wants to do it. Anyone who gets in her way--good luck.

Addy is fiercely independent and adventurous. I envy her zest for life! She is the girl who will follow her own path. I'm certain the path will involve a lot of running, dancing and loud music. I "Looooooovvvvveeeee" you both Addy & Lilly and I hope for the sake of your parents' sanity, your terrible twos come to an end soon!

ABC's Backwards

Lilly has been known to sing anywhere at the highest decibal level possible. She really doesn't care if we are at the library, church or simply around our dinner table with Jeremy and I trying to have a conversation. The latter was the case a couple nights ago. She started belting the ABC's and frustrated that Jeremy couldn't talk, he said "Hey Lilly why don't you sing them backwards." Thinking she'd be stumped for sure. She didn't miss a beat and did the trick Addy is re-enacting below. We couldn't get the camera out fast enough and then we laughed so hard, Addy thought she should do it too!

Tournament Time

Breakfast the other morning, consisted of daddy & daughters, completing their brackets. Jeremy had converted the brackets and figured out all the mascots, then Addy & Lilly based their pics on the mascots of choice. Now, I'm not sure I'd throw down in Vegas on their picks, but we'll see how they do. Addy's a girl after her mama's heart, and took the Butler Bulldogs to the end, while Lilly chose the Kansas State Wildcats. Loving some March Madness!

Mommy Resolutions...

The holiday decorations are packed in the attic and we've eaten the last of the leftovers, it's time to ring in 2010. Here are a few Mommy Resolutions for 2010:

1. Find calm in the chaos (I resolved this last year and will probably resolve this every year until retirement)
2. Bribe less, show praise with words more
3. Be more patient with my VERY independent toddlers
4. Bring back date night
5. Stop eating Addy & Lilly's snacks
6. Play in the snow more...

The video is about 4 minutes, so pop some popcorn if you must, and enjoy!

Leave me a comment and share your New Years resolutions! Cheers to you and yours this NYE!

Christmas Caroling....

With still 6 days until Christmas, my girls have broken: 5 ornaments, a stocking hanger, a Santa figurine, a wooden reindeer, 2 snow globes and wripped pages out of 3 holiday books....

And today in Indiana--SNOW! Hope you are enjoying the holiday countdown!

Duck, Duck....Goose?

With all this turkey talk, Jeremy and I decided we'd teach the girls this silly little game the other night. When I stepped away to get the camera, it looked a little like this:

My 2-year old Addy

Last year I did separate posts for both of my girls, illustrating to everyone just how DIFFERENT they are. You can see the changes in this old post about Addy (click here). I wanted to do the same now that they are 2 and changing everyday.

Addy has more energy than I ever thought possible, the girl never walks anywhere, she goes in a full-blown sprint. She has become so good at playing pretend, endlessly taking care of her babies or stuffed animals. She frequently brings them to the table when we are eating so they can eat too. She continues to love to play independently frequently turning her back on her sister, so Lilly can't see what she's playing with. However, this doesn't mean she isn't a GREAT cuddler, she'll run around like an absolute maniac, but pause for a second, run in for a hug, then she's off again.

She is a great eater and will try just about anything you put on her plate, but her favorites include corn, hard boiled eggs, turkey dogs, mac & cheese and rice cakes. She is pretty good in new places and rarely cries when I leave her. I've observed a few different times, her walk right up to an adult, stand below them and say sheepishly, "hi", waiting for some kind of formal introduction. She plays hard all day long and struggles to get herself down at night, sometimes talking/yelling in her crib for an hour after bedtime. She still occasionally has 'night terrors' which are awful and cause her heart rate to jump and she's covered in sweat, but the doctor assures us this is typical and she'll more than likely grow out of it. She seems to be the more crafty of the 2 at this age, playing for longer periods with crayons, play-dough, etc. Addy is also NOTORIOUS for collecting/organizing things, which is hilarious if you know me. She will spend hours searching out ALL the animals in the house to put in one place or ALL the leaves from the backyard. Hopefully this is a sign of a very clean room during her teenage years!

Here's a video of our dancing queen. Ignore the hair, we'd just had bathtime and she DID NOT want her hair brushed (did I mention she was VERY opinionated?).

Mother's Day 2009

These girls have been making me laugh all week, the connections they are making right now are pretty incredible....I'm a lucky mom!

St. Louis Trip

So, why did we decide to do St. Louis with the girls?

• Jeremy and I have taken trips since they were born, but they've never stayed in a hotel before and we thought it was time....
• My dad was conferencing for work, so the trip was basically free...
• 4 hours in the car, long enough to feel like a getaway, but not long enough to regret the trip later.
• 1 hour time change caused only minor interruptions to their schedules (4:45 wake up?--yikes)

The girls were great, they love spending time with Ga Ga and Ga Ga (yes, that's what they call all 4 of their grandparents right now) Sadler. Here are pictures and some narration for your reading pleasure....

We traveled with very little toys, I knew they are at this great age where they make their own fun--nothing like a long hallway to run and curtains to hide behind to provide hours of entertainment! "Just one more lap, then bed, I swear..."--Lilly

Swimming in the hotel pool with Grandpa Ian " Ga Ga, Ba ba ba ba, chicka, chicka, crash, wa wa, woah." Translates to..."Grandpa, yesterday at the zoo we saw hippos swimming and fishies crashing together in a pool."--Addy, she's becoming so verbal and has her own language and spends most days telling stories no one understands quite yet.
St. Louis is home to the largest urban park in the US (Forest Park), even bigger than Central in NYC. It also has a wonderful playground and this huge concrete turtles. Both the girls can say turtle and I knew this would be fun. A little scared at first, but warmed up quickly. Here's Addy making friends with the smallest turtle in the park.

Mommy, Addy & Lilly perched up on one of the larger turtles.

With Grandma & Grandpa at the zoo--check out the elephant in the background!
Lilly a little scared of the choo-choo at first, but again warmed up quickly. This added to our list of things my little scaredy cat is afraid of...(choo-choo trains, concrete turtles, elevators, Easter bunnies, Santa Clauses, vacumns, leaf/snow blowers, loud planes, the rocket ship on Little Einsteins on the Disney Channel...really, are you serious Lilly?)
Addy, getting a new perspective from Daddy's shoulders... "More, DaDa, More!"

Holding hands, walking with their leashes--I tell you this melts my heart. Oh, and this morning Addy woke first, but when Lilly joined her downstairs, there were "Hi's" exchanged, then hugs! It doesn't get any better than that.

My fearless Addy was brave in the petting zoo, chatting with the goats, here is a video, you can see Lilly hovering around Daddy in the background!

Thanks for a great trip Grandma & Grandpa!

Tigers to Time-outs?

Grandma Linda came last week to help me out as I got a lot of work done, both for my job and my family! The spring cleaning bug hit me and I got closets organized, clothes and toys organized to sell and more. It was so nice to have her--thank you Ga Ga! We even made it to the zoo last week....

Ga Ga and her peeps at the first zoo outing of the season

"He looks just like my stuffed animal at home--but bigger....way bigger...."--Lilly

Loving the dolphin show and the shark exhibit, we may have a marine biologist on our hands! (Addy)

As we near the 2-year mark, the girls have begun to give me a glimpse of the terrible-twos. I've done time-outs with them for almost a year now, starting when punishing them for biting, pulling hair, etc. Now we try and enforce it for tantrums, throwing toys, running off in public, etc. Mostly things that I consider dangerous or that make mommy need a time-out so I don't lose it. We started giving the time-outs in their crib, lastly only 1 minute. Now, they'll do them just about anywhere and know I mean business. A couple weeks ago, after running away from me Addy did hers on a park bench, I've also done the front door step when they run onto the street when playing in the driveway and our dining room chair has become the timeout seat for the first floor. Here are a few rules I've tried to follow...

1. Be consistent, tell them why they are going in time-out, put them there and when your done explain again, hug/kiss and let them go. If they get up, put them back and set the clock again. If the behavior warrants an apology, make them "say" it, even if they can't say it.

2. Don't use time-out as a blanket threat, if you say they'll get a time-out if they throw a toy again, and they look at you and throw the toy, you need to follow-through (yes, even grandmas)

3. Try to keep a straight face when you go back after a minute and the arms are outstretched and they are ready for the kiss...Pavlovian response? (disclaimer, I was not in the room while filming, arm was going around the corner of the wall, but notice how she looks directly at the camera...can we say drama queen?)

Another funny story...when the girls were in the NICU, Jeremy and I used to sit through feedings and talk about what we thought they'd be like as they got older. One day, I was feeding Lilly and Jeremy was feeding Addy. Jeremy told me that Lilly would be just like her mom and LOVE ketchup on everything. Addy would be the condiment queen, passing on ketchup and using "better" condiments like honey mustard, bbq, etc. (I know, we did a lot to pass the time). As it turns out, Addy is my ketchup queen and reaches over to dip off others' plates if she doesn't have her own. Here's Addy...(we are still working on the deal with Heinz...free ketchup for life?)

Last item for this blog, Brooke tagged me for 7 favorite things (in no particular order)....Lilly's bear hugs, Addy's sloppy kisses, a bubble bath, wine with friends, uninterrupted sleep, Michelle's cupcakes and a back rub from my hubby. (Tags--Mamalouise, Amy Wagner, Brooke Kline)

18 month catch-up

Our poor Lilly continues to battle her ear infections. At this point, we think her little body has built up a resistance to the antibiotics, so we are now on day 14, 2 different antibiotic rounds and still no better. She was up most of the night last night and has a breakdown if I so much as think about leaving the room. Today was a rough day around here. We are going to see an ENT pediatric doctor with the hopes of getting her tubes. So, with nothing fun to report, I thought I'd do a catch-up blog....

I never posted their 18 month stats, which is surprising since we've been going to the doctor so frequently, but I'll post since this is the only place I record these types of things.
Lilly---27 lbs (81st percentile), 33 inches long (80th percentile) and 49 head circumfrance (96th percentile). She continues to be our little diva, LOVES being read to and dancing around the house to any kind of music.
Addy--25 1/2 lbs (64th percentile), 33 inches long (80th-same as her sister) and 50 head circumfrance (98th percentile). Making us laugh daily with her "problem solving skill-building", she takes apart and puts back together all kinds of things, stacks blocks taller than she is and is overly patient with her cranky sister when she's sick (lots of hugs/lots of kisses).

Back in February, Jeremy moved their Sand and Water table into our basement and filled it with rice. It's been a good source of entertainment to get us through the winter. Here's a video Jeremy took a while back, but I never posted...

Seriously, Addy?

Sunday Ramblings...

In the spirit of a REALLY good nap day-I thought I'd catch up blogging and share a bit....

It was a busy and fun week around here. On Wednesday evening, I braved this...

to see this...

All in all, a decent event. I thought she'd be imparting parenting wisdom, but she really just promoted her book and told the Jon & Kate Plus 8 story, so if you watch the show you already know it. After her talk, I visited with a twin mom from the local twin group and checked out the wine tasting booth (This is all at the Indianapolis Home Show). This alone, made the night out worth it.

A little background about this video. We've consistently gotten to 1 nap a day since the x-mas holidays. The length of the nap varies and I try and get them to 1 o'clock in the afternoon before naps. Most days that works. Yesterday was Daddy's day, he watched them all morning while I went into work. The video was taking around lunchtime....

Besides sleeping in our highchairs, we've also figured out that books with paper pages are fun to read, not just rip apart--here are my little bookworms.

Lastly, random thought...I came across this website a few weeks back, they do a "green" bargain every day. I have no affiliation to it, just a cool thought...you can check it out for yourself: http://greenbabybargains.blogspot.com/

So you think you can dance?

Here are our contestants...

Happy Thursday Everyone!