Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
But they're cousins ...
Identical cousins ... la la la. Well, definitely not identical cousins, but they sure do like each other. Amy and Eric took a week long trip to Arizona this last week and Nana Jo was keeping Cash and Jhett. She needed help for one of the days so they came to Livingston to stay the night and the next day. We had a great time. Mattie was thrilled to have a sleepover with her favorite friends and Cash and Jhett seemed to enjoy the different toys and pace of our crazy lives.
It was hard to catch them all in the same room at the same time and cooperating for a picture, but here are a couple to remind us how cute they all are at this age.
It was hard to catch them all in the same room at the same time and cooperating for a picture, but here are a couple to remind us how cute they all are at this age.
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| Mattie doing Jhett's hair |
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| Jhett Marie - 2 years |
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| Matine 34 months, Cash 3 years 5 months |
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Making Cows out of Pigs
This video is pretty silly. Matine was innocently coloring with markers and her paints and when I turned around she had (pretty neatly) created a bowl of goo with the paint brush water, paints and paper. I let her play in / with it because she was having such a great time. The cutting refers to the day she gave her paint brushes haircuts with her scissors. I have no idea how cows are created out of pigs .... Enjoy.
Things she likes
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| yes, that is a popsicle and those are gloves on her hands. |
Our little precious weirdo. Oh how I adore her and her "essence." There are truly too many funny sayings or moments to even record half of them, but I thought I would make a quick list of things that she prefers, likes, or does lately.
- She loves to wear gloves - even inside.
- Still loves toast.
- German pancakes.
- Nutella
- Making messes and cleaning them up herself
- Cooking with mom - while standing on "her tool" (stool)
- Using the potty "all by myself"
- Her friends
- Walks with mom and dad
- Her kitties, especially Fez
- Sleeping on her "trundle" (trundle bed)
- Dinner parties
- Medicine when she's sick
- Bandaids when anyone has an injury.
- Giving hugs and kisses
- Dress up of any kind
- Getting her fingernails and toenails painted
- School - particularly circle time / singing time
- She loves her cousins Cash and Jhett
- Dora the Explorer
- the movie, Rio
- Playing Candy Land
- Telling stories
- Art of any kind - painting, markers, crayons, stickers
- Saying, "its ok, don't worry, its ok, right?" - if she spills something or messes something up
- Feeling better - if she is at all sick or has a cold, as soon as symptoms subside she likes to announce it and proclaim, "I feel better Mom! I'm not sick anymore!"
- Going to the Doctors office with me for the appointments
- Taking baths - she will stay in it for hours
- Pretend cooking in her kitchen
- Princess books
- Story time of any kind, but she loves Olivia, Princess stories, Mouse Cookie books, and Dr Seuss.
- She gets so sad when others are sad - it consumes her until they are ok.
- Picking out her clothes and outfits - statements like, "oh, that will be cute" or "ummmm, what dress should I wear today?" as she peruses the closet ... just like a grownup.
- She loves haircuts and getting her bangs trimmed
- She loves scissors and cutting things - anything!
- She likes trying to negotiate - "one more bite, not two" or "2 books tonight, ok mom, alright."
- SWIMMING! She loves going to Chico to soak and swim. Head under water, floating, kicking, jumping off the edge, visiting with all the people who wave and smile at her.
- She is really into asking people what their name is. Total strangers, she MUST know what their name is and she will go right up to them and ask.
- She loves telling people her name is "Matine" and she is two (with 2 fingers being displayed)
- Dancing. She could dance all day. To any tune.
- Naming body parts - she is very into naming the bones and parts of her body.
- Hot chocolate. It is a must have when she wakes up while we drink our coffee.
- Skiing. She lays in bed asking if she gets to ski today.
- She loves to declare if "its almost late" (dusk or bedtime) or "its early now mom!" (morning time)
- A funny statement recently, "what are you doing mom? Think about it, does that make any sense?" - with extreme hand and head accents.
- She loves cuddling. If we would let her sleep in my bed every night, she would.
- She loves her family. She declares that we are family all the time and asks about ALL her grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles all the time.
- She loves "Skype" and "FaceTime" with friends on the computer.
- She's really good with manners. Of course she goes through demanding phases, but most of the time she very naturally says, "thanks mom" or "you're welcome" and "could you please?"
- Baby animals - any baby animal is adored and she imagines that most things are baby animals.
- She has been eating a lot of chicken lately - mostly bread, cheese, noodles, fruit, crackers, milk
- Pink
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Belly Goodness
Well, I have been TERRIBLE at regularly putting up pics of this pregnancy. I am at 34 weeks this week (yes, that means SIX to go). If you can't believe it, just imagine my surprise!
I am growing, growing, growing. Things have been great. Chasing a toddler around has made this pregnancy "more difficult" I guess I would say, but the actual pregnancy symptoms aren't much different. My body looks and feels about the same - I am a bit more sore and stretched out feeling in the lower belly area. I actually have a little less heartburn than I did with Matine. I felt like with her I had it up to the very end pretty consistently. I think it has pretty much subsided now with Baby Dos. This kiddo likes to move a lot! I get lots of flips and kicks and little feet and elbows throughout the day. I love the movement. While it can surprise me and sometimes hurt it is still such a miracle to feel its energy and life already. I have started fantasizing a lot about what this baby looks like. Will he/she look like Mattie? Will it be dark haired? Blue or brown eyes? And of course, BOY OR GIRL? I LOVE not knowing what it is ... It is making me excited about the upcoming labor (yes, I just typed that).
I feel really relaxed about it's arrival. We now know how little you actually need for a baby (in terms of stuff). We have everything in order and the room is ready to go. I am getting my housekeeping things with my businesses in order so I can chill out a bit in April and May and just enjoy my time with our newest member. Mattie STILL tells everyone it's a "boy" and she wants a "baby brother." We are glad she still doesn't like the name "Horace." She doesn't really have a name now, she just says baby boy or baby brother. Her baby in her belly is still a girl, of course.
I have a few friends pregnant right now, so I am super excited about sharing the new baby experience again with other great mommas. Today was 60 plus degrees and sunny and something about the weather just made it feel more like it is almost time to have this baby! There is something about being able to feel the sun on my face and picturing toting my kids around town with nice weather .... It just felt so good! I also wanted to actually go for a long walk, which always makes me feel better.
These are pics of 32 weeks (2 weeks ago) and today (34 weeks). I need to start taking these when I am actually showered and looking human. Geez.
I am growing, growing, growing. Things have been great. Chasing a toddler around has made this pregnancy "more difficult" I guess I would say, but the actual pregnancy symptoms aren't much different. My body looks and feels about the same - I am a bit more sore and stretched out feeling in the lower belly area. I actually have a little less heartburn than I did with Matine. I felt like with her I had it up to the very end pretty consistently. I think it has pretty much subsided now with Baby Dos. This kiddo likes to move a lot! I get lots of flips and kicks and little feet and elbows throughout the day. I love the movement. While it can surprise me and sometimes hurt it is still such a miracle to feel its energy and life already. I have started fantasizing a lot about what this baby looks like. Will he/she look like Mattie? Will it be dark haired? Blue or brown eyes? And of course, BOY OR GIRL? I LOVE not knowing what it is ... It is making me excited about the upcoming labor (yes, I just typed that).
I feel really relaxed about it's arrival. We now know how little you actually need for a baby (in terms of stuff). We have everything in order and the room is ready to go. I am getting my housekeeping things with my businesses in order so I can chill out a bit in April and May and just enjoy my time with our newest member. Mattie STILL tells everyone it's a "boy" and she wants a "baby brother." We are glad she still doesn't like the name "Horace." She doesn't really have a name now, she just says baby boy or baby brother. Her baby in her belly is still a girl, of course.
I have a few friends pregnant right now, so I am super excited about sharing the new baby experience again with other great mommas. Today was 60 plus degrees and sunny and something about the weather just made it feel more like it is almost time to have this baby! There is something about being able to feel the sun on my face and picturing toting my kids around town with nice weather .... It just felt so good! I also wanted to actually go for a long walk, which always makes me feel better.
These are pics of 32 weeks (2 weeks ago) and today (34 weeks). I need to start taking these when I am actually showered and looking human. Geez.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Snow Day!
We have only had about 3 "storms" to speak of this year and it has been a bit strange having such a dry winter. But, when it does snow, we try to take advantage.
Today, Mattie had William and Sophia over - they played and played in the snow, "rested" on their chairs on the sauna deck, had some hot cocoa, played dress up, and finger painted... What do you do on a snow day?
Mornings always start off right with some semi-unsupervised finger painting. I am amazed at how good she actually is with paints. She stays at her craft table, washes her hands before doing anything, and stays relatively clean. I did have to tell her no once when she asked if she could paint her face.
We had a doctors appointment this morning. I say "we" because I get my baby check ups and so does Matine. They all know her in the office and love to visit with her when we get there. Nurse Gloria always brings her treats and asks her how "her baby" is growing in her belly. She helped the Doc measure my belly today with the little tape measure and as soon as they were done Matine walked very confidently to her drawer in the exam room - I saw the Doc take a big gasp (like oh, no! kid going through medical drawer) and before she could say anything Matine had put the tape measure in the exact spot it came from and nicely shut the drawer. I thought Doc's jaw was going to drop. It was pretty funny.
After our babies were given the "a-ok" we had lunch with Mike, William and Sophia and then they came back to our place for a few hours. The kids couldn't stand being inside once they saw that sun shining on the nice white snow - so 45 minutes later after my wholeness bundled up 3 squirming kids - they were gone.
Hot cocoa and then some dress up. It was a day!
Mattie loves her "princess" dress and she accessorized today with a bowl on her head. It looked just like a yarmulke and I laughed thinking how timely her support of Israel was....
Today, Mattie had William and Sophia over - they played and played in the snow, "rested" on their chairs on the sauna deck, had some hot cocoa, played dress up, and finger painted... What do you do on a snow day?
Mornings always start off right with some semi-unsupervised finger painting. I am amazed at how good she actually is with paints. She stays at her craft table, washes her hands before doing anything, and stays relatively clean. I did have to tell her no once when she asked if she could paint her face.
We had a doctors appointment this morning. I say "we" because I get my baby check ups and so does Matine. They all know her in the office and love to visit with her when we get there. Nurse Gloria always brings her treats and asks her how "her baby" is growing in her belly. She helped the Doc measure my belly today with the little tape measure and as soon as they were done Matine walked very confidently to her drawer in the exam room - I saw the Doc take a big gasp (like oh, no! kid going through medical drawer) and before she could say anything Matine had put the tape measure in the exact spot it came from and nicely shut the drawer. I thought Doc's jaw was going to drop. It was pretty funny.
After our babies were given the "a-ok" we had lunch with Mike, William and Sophia and then they came back to our place for a few hours. The kids couldn't stand being inside once they saw that sun shining on the nice white snow - so 45 minutes later after my wholeness bundled up 3 squirming kids - they were gone.
Hot cocoa and then some dress up. It was a day!
Mattie loves her "princess" dress and she accessorized today with a bowl on her head. It looked just like a yarmulke and I laughed thinking how timely her support of Israel was....
Monday, March 5, 2012
For the Love of Skiing
It would be impossible for me or Peter to imagine having a child that didn't love to ski. It has been a large part of both our lives for a long, long, long time - before we really even remember. But let me tell you, even with these high expectations, it is impossible to describe the pure joy we have watching our little gal LOVE the mountains, the snow, the feel of a slope beneath her feet, the FUN of playing in the snow with us and her friends. It is just awesome!
At 2.5 years old, it is her favorite thing to do! The sound of her squeals and shrieks and "can I go down one more time?" is music to our ears! We have been about 5 or 6 weekends this winter and plan on being up at Bridger Bowl until the snow is gone. She LOVES it. We are excited to see what each new season brings as she just gets better, stronger, more confident, and more free to ski with her own style! She has graduated past the little bunny lift and now skis on legitimate "green" runs on Virginia City and Powder Park!
Check out these videos of her skiing this weekend. We are quite the sight to behold right now. The little tyke shredding it up on the mountain, the harness, the 8-month pregnant whale of a mother wearing her husbands oversized clothes, poor Peter trying to "pizza wedge" at a near snails pace behind Matine and not run her over... It's a WHOLE lot of effort and gear to lug around for a day, but all worth it as soon as we see her big grin take over her face.
I am trying all my old ski instructor tricks to get her to turn her skis across the hill, keep her hands in front of her, look up, and try to slow down on her own. MOST are working. Her favorite game yesterday was "Polar Bear rescuer" where we were looking for lost baby Polar Bears in the "forest/trees" and she would ski from side to side to look in the woods to find polar bears that needed to be reunited with their mamas. It was all she would talk about and eventually we had snow balls that were Polar Bears (of course) that we had to transport down the hill and back to their mamas in their caves. She loved it and was VERY determined to find them and "save them." She is so freaking sweet I can't stand it! She even wanted to take her snowball Polar bears some hot cocoa when we took a small break.
At 2.5 years old, it is her favorite thing to do! The sound of her squeals and shrieks and "can I go down one more time?" is music to our ears! We have been about 5 or 6 weekends this winter and plan on being up at Bridger Bowl until the snow is gone. She LOVES it. We are excited to see what each new season brings as she just gets better, stronger, more confident, and more free to ski with her own style! She has graduated past the little bunny lift and now skis on legitimate "green" runs on Virginia City and Powder Park!
Check out these videos of her skiing this weekend. We are quite the sight to behold right now. The little tyke shredding it up on the mountain, the harness, the 8-month pregnant whale of a mother wearing her husbands oversized clothes, poor Peter trying to "pizza wedge" at a near snails pace behind Matine and not run her over... It's a WHOLE lot of effort and gear to lug around for a day, but all worth it as soon as we see her big grin take over her face.
I am trying all my old ski instructor tricks to get her to turn her skis across the hill, keep her hands in front of her, look up, and try to slow down on her own. MOST are working. Her favorite game yesterday was "Polar Bear rescuer" where we were looking for lost baby Polar Bears in the "forest/trees" and she would ski from side to side to look in the woods to find polar bears that needed to be reunited with their mamas. It was all she would talk about and eventually we had snow balls that were Polar Bears (of course) that we had to transport down the hill and back to their mamas in their caves. She loved it and was VERY determined to find them and "save them." She is so freaking sweet I can't stand it! She even wanted to take her snowball Polar bears some hot cocoa when we took a small break.
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| The new set up... harness and BIG hill... NO more bunny slopes for this kid. |
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| Loving Powder Park lift with Mom and Dad |
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| You can't say it was a great day until you produce "helmet hair" like this! |
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Newest Additions
Just when you think things are quieting down around the Howell House, we shook things up a bit. You know - remodels, new babies, toddlers, a million jobs ... 2 dogs, 3 fish and 3 chickens weren't enough. We have CATS now!
Our friends Cloe and Kris and their daughter Noor live part of the year in Morocco (you can see Cloe and Kris' cool work here). They decided it was time to find a permanent home for their two fur-kids and since Mattie is OBSESSED with cats and I am a bit hormonal and crazy, I jumped at the chance to adopt these two old gals. We love them. They are very sweet, laid back and have made themselves right at home. It has actually worked out quite well with the dogs - Oliver is terrified of them and has seemed to be on his best behavior lately. I think he believes he will be permanently replaced if he wanders too far or acts to crazy. I am loving it.
They are indoor / outdoor kitties, mainly stay downstairs in the basement and sleep and act like cats, and creep out in the evenings to cuddle while we read and watch TV. They are getting more used to Matine and the dogs everyday. I was impressed with how quickly it took fork her to tell the difference in the two. They look so much alike (or you think they would to a 2.5 year old), but she is very quick to correct anyone how calls them by the wrong name.
Welcome to the family Fez and Asti! Your world just got strange!
Our friends Cloe and Kris and their daughter Noor live part of the year in Morocco (you can see Cloe and Kris' cool work here). They decided it was time to find a permanent home for their two fur-kids and since Mattie is OBSESSED with cats and I am a bit hormonal and crazy, I jumped at the chance to adopt these two old gals. We love them. They are very sweet, laid back and have made themselves right at home. It has actually worked out quite well with the dogs - Oliver is terrified of them and has seemed to be on his best behavior lately. I think he believes he will be permanently replaced if he wanders too far or acts to crazy. I am loving it.
They are indoor / outdoor kitties, mainly stay downstairs in the basement and sleep and act like cats, and creep out in the evenings to cuddle while we read and watch TV. They are getting more used to Matine and the dogs everyday. I was impressed with how quickly it took fork her to tell the difference in the two. They look so much alike (or you think they would to a 2.5 year old), but she is very quick to correct anyone how calls them by the wrong name.
Welcome to the family Fez and Asti! Your world just got strange!
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| Asti - 12 years old |
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| Fez - 9 years old |
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| Fez |
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| Fez |
Thursday, March 1, 2012
And the Oscar goes to....
It was the Roger's 2nd Annual Oscar Party. I am declaring an "annual" even if they aren't completely on board yet because it is so much fun and a nice change of pace in the middle of our long winters. There is something fun about dressing up in sleeveless dresses that show off my wintery white pasty arms and trying to walk in heels on ice that I just can't get enough of! I also adore the costume jewelry and a reason to dig out my 1 tube of lipstick that I have had for 12 years. Thanks Clinique.
My daughter clearly has the same love of dress up as her momma. As you can imagine, this party might be Matine's FAVORITE of the year. Poofy pink dress - check. Pretty ladies with jewelry - check. Getting to wear dress up shoes that click and gloves - check. Talking about "Logan will dance with me?" for an entire week - check! Thanks to Nona and her amazing finds at the thrift store, Matine had about 3 new dress up dresses to choose from for the occasion.
Check out LAST YEARS party with the link here: http://brookeandpeter.blogspot.com/2011/03/red-carpet.html. I cannot believe this is what 1 year can do! Madeleine and I are going to take this picture with our gals each year to see the growth! Theirs and ours. Yikes.
Let's just say there were about 30 people there, and more than 1/2 of them were under the age of 6! There were 3 pregnant ladies as well, which means by next year, the we will be completely outnumbered!
Guys stayed upstairs and drank beer, ladies watched the red carpet and ceremonies from the comfort of the movie room downstairs (champagne and wine in hand). The kids ran all over.
My daughter clearly has the same love of dress up as her momma. As you can imagine, this party might be Matine's FAVORITE of the year. Poofy pink dress - check. Pretty ladies with jewelry - check. Getting to wear dress up shoes that click and gloves - check. Talking about "Logan will dance with me?" for an entire week - check! Thanks to Nona and her amazing finds at the thrift store, Matine had about 3 new dress up dresses to choose from for the occasion.
Check out LAST YEARS party with the link here: http://brookeandpeter.blogspot.com/2011/03/red-carpet.html. I cannot believe this is what 1 year can do! Madeleine and I are going to take this picture with our gals each year to see the growth! Theirs and ours. Yikes.
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| "I just can't accept this award! I am so shocked. I'd like to share it with my friend Sophia. " |
Let's just say there were about 30 people there, and more than 1/2 of them were under the age of 6! There were 3 pregnant ladies as well, which means by next year, the we will be completely outnumbered!
Guys stayed upstairs and drank beer, ladies watched the red carpet and ceremonies from the comfort of the movie room downstairs (champagne and wine in hand). The kids ran all over.
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| Me and JimPa, the "french director" |
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| I LOVE Williams bow-tie on the superhero costume! And, Matine wore the dress Sophia is wearing last year! |
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| Brooke, Raluca and Aga - Due April, May and June (in that order) |
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| Sally, Brooke, Raluca, Aga and Debbie |
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| Mattie and Audrey did their own Oscar performances on stage in front of the big screen. |
Sunday, February 26, 2012
I am being serious
My child's world always includes a "prop" of some kind: boots, a tool, a dress, strange shoes, helmets, and the latest is her new ski goggles. Since she got them yesterday, she has wanted to wear them to: watch TV, take a bath, eat her breakfast, lunch, and I am going to go out on a limb and assume they will be part of her "Oscar Party" dress ensemble tonight as well.
She came to breakfast in them this morning and looks right at me and says, "Mom, I am being serious."
What?
She came to breakfast in them this morning and looks right at me and says, "Mom, I am being serious."
What?
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Nursery Pics!
This ENTIRE nursery is a BIG thank you to my MOTHER... with whom very little would be getting done in my life right now. Thanks for painting, prodding, sewing, moving, advising, and being excited for Baby Dos!
All that is missing are some more "baskets" on the open shelving and the beautifully handmade duvet that my mom is sewing!
All that is missing are some more "baskets" on the open shelving and the beautifully handmade duvet that my mom is sewing!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Her Highness
The picture above shows the "outfit" that Matine had to wear while making Valentines. Let me tell you. Nothing this kid does is by accident, coincidence or happenstance. Everything is METICULOUSLY thought out and planned.
I am enjoying a day to myself today as Peter took Matine with the Rogers' family to Showdown Ski Area for the day. I am relishing the quietness of our house and piddling on projects that need to get done. Clearly, one of them being "do a blog post!"
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| Dish towel and princess dress . . . the possibilities are endless! |
Everytime I finally have 2 moments without Mattie, all I can do is think about her (ironic). She makes me laugh ALL THE TIME!
Yesterday's moments:
We went to Chico to soak and after soaking we were having lunch in the Grille with Sally, Brian, Audrey and Camille. She just sat there so sweet and big at the table, using her manners, her napkin to clean her face, just coloring away. All of a sudden Audrey bit her tongue and started crying (poor girl). I watched Mattie's super concerned face contort and change as she looked at Audrey with such sympathy. After about a minute of her crying, Matine reaches her hand over, starts rubbing and stroking her back and very quietly and calmly saying to Audrey, "it's ok Audrey, did you hurt your tongue, I'm sorry, it's ok" - all while just laying her hand on her back. She soon started stroking her hair and being the sweetest friend I have ever seen. She would occasionally look back at me with her "concern look" that she has down perfectly motioning to me "mom, what do I do? I feel so bad for her!" She is just the sweetest kid!
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| Take a picture of me! |
On the way down there, I had a lemon-lime gatorade. Of course, she misses NOTHING and any new object, outfit, expression, route, change of plans is ALWAYS brought up by her and these days is met with 1,000 questions. So it began: "mom, what is that you are drinking?" "it's gatorade." "oh, but what is it?" "Well, it's kind of like juice. It's a lemon lime flavor juice, similar to lemonade." "Oh, like lemonade, but what is it?" "Well, have a sip and try it, I think you might like it." "Oh, thanks mom." She holds it in her hands, repeating, "but what is it?" I keep urging her to just try it and see. She barely touches her lips to the rim and says, "but what is it?" "I repeat the name, Lemon Lime Gatorade, it's like juice" Finally she gives in and takes a swig, "It's good mommy! Hmmm... Gatorade, like Lemonade!" As soon as we arrived at Chico she made sure I didn't leave the bottle of Gatorade in the car. "We need to bring that Gatorade to the pool!"
Now that she is "potty trained" and tells everyone she wears panties and sits on the potty, she is BIG STUFF. She acts like she's been doing it for years and as if she is an old pro. I actually overheard her telling someone the other day, "when I was a baby and wore diapers" - ha! She has been out of diapers for 2 weeks and already refers to the past as "when I was a baby." In the dressing room at Chico yesterday Sally was mentioning to Audrey that Matine now wears panties and uses the potty, trying to entice her to do the same soon.... Matine grabs Audrey's hand, tilts her head like a teacher would to a student, and in "teacher voice" says, "come here Audrey, do you want to come with me to the potty, I will show you how to use it." I think she is ready to be big sister!
She is also very into "negotiating" right now. Of course, we are careful to not let her have too much power with her negotiating, but as we all now, some is inevitable and harmless - like "Go pick out 1 book to read before bed." And her reply is usually, holding up her hands, tilting her head with sure authority, "how about 2 books."
She does this with time related things like last nights request before bed, "Mom, I want to cuddle for just one more minute." And when I ask her to come to the dinner table or get her jacket on to go, "Just one more minute mom, I'm almost done _______." So far, this makes me chuckle because it has been kept to a minimum, but man, this gal has it figured out. It also is used quite often when she wants to watch "one more Dora" (Dora the Explorer). That one we don't budge on much but she never ceases to try for "one more."
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| "Tie it in the back, now take a picture of me!" |
Last night she tried a new stall technique for bedtime. She didn't want to go and now that she nows her powers with the potty, she exclaimed from bed that she needed to pee. Of course when you are in training mode, you have to respond on some level because, what if she really needed to! So, out of bed she comes and she sits on the potty, convincing Dad to read her "one more book" as she sits there (not peeing).
After a few minutes and no pee it was back to bed. Then of course we hear, "I have to poop!" Hmm... now we suspect this is all a ruse as well, but again, what if it's not! We tell the kid to tell us if she needs to go. So, up she goes again, on the potty, asking for books. I don't give in to that, I tell her now books, just do her business and it's back to bed. As she sits there, she starts negotiating her time on the toilet. Out comes the words, "Just 5 more poops!" I thought I was going to lose it... Oh no, ONE poop and it was back to bed for this little manipulator!
Don't let the angelic face fool you. She's no fool!
Friday, February 17, 2012
30 Weeks!
I am having a really hard time believing that this Baby Dos will be arriving in 10 weeks! What? Where did the time go? Oh yeah, I have spent it chasing a 2 year old around. Feeling good and haven't had any weird pregnancy issues so far. I am feeling larger this time although they say I am measuring just about the same as last time.
We are getting really excited to be a family of four. Matine talks more and more about "being a big sister" "the baby" and all the plans she has for him/her. She will sing a song and then say things like, "do you think the baby will like this song?" One day she declared to me that SHE will be the one to pick the babies outfits out and feed it. That will sure be helpful!
I am getting excited about the warm, snuggly, chubby baby thing - every time I see an infant I can just feel ours in my arms. Our friends Meggann and Tony and baby Brody came over last night for dinner and it was like another lifetime having a 10 month old in the house. Crawling, finger foods, baby babble... I already forgot about the needs and rules of pre-walking toddlers! I am hoping it all comes back to me. If it doesn't I am sure Matine will be double check EVERYTHING I do and don't do with the Little One.
Right now, everything is a "but WHY mom?" I give her and answer and it's followed up with another, "but WHY?" I am thankful that we have a POTTY TRAINED Matine now! Only 2 accidents since we started the potty training nearly 2 weeks ago now. She hasn't had an accident at nap time and even though we put her to bed overnight with a diaper she is waking up more and more with a dry diaper. I swear, we totally lucked out with this kid. She has been SO easy with every thing we have needed to do with her. I feel so lucky and honored to have her in my life. I know I am extra hormonal and all right now, but I am brought to tears on a DAILY basis by this little gals sweet, gentle heart and spirit. She is SO kind and sweet to everyone, everything. She just cares about others and LOVES to bring joy to people. From her "jokes" to giving hugs and kisses because, to telling us all how much she loves us, or how nice we look or hugging her dogs and cats (oh yeah, we have 2 cats now... another post about that coming next). I feel so ready and excited to see how this new baby changes and adds to her already rich life. She will be the BEST big sister ever. She has a lot of love to go around and I think she will really thrive with the new addition. I am really not worried about the transition.
I will also post pics of the new baby's room! We are getting close to pulling it all together. It is really cute and I think I like it even more than Mattie's nursery!
We are getting really excited to be a family of four. Matine talks more and more about "being a big sister" "the baby" and all the plans she has for him/her. She will sing a song and then say things like, "do you think the baby will like this song?" One day she declared to me that SHE will be the one to pick the babies outfits out and feed it. That will sure be helpful!
I am getting excited about the warm, snuggly, chubby baby thing - every time I see an infant I can just feel ours in my arms. Our friends Meggann and Tony and baby Brody came over last night for dinner and it was like another lifetime having a 10 month old in the house. Crawling, finger foods, baby babble... I already forgot about the needs and rules of pre-walking toddlers! I am hoping it all comes back to me. If it doesn't I am sure Matine will be double check EVERYTHING I do and don't do with the Little One.
Right now, everything is a "but WHY mom?" I give her and answer and it's followed up with another, "but WHY?" I am thankful that we have a POTTY TRAINED Matine now! Only 2 accidents since we started the potty training nearly 2 weeks ago now. She hasn't had an accident at nap time and even though we put her to bed overnight with a diaper she is waking up more and more with a dry diaper. I swear, we totally lucked out with this kid. She has been SO easy with every thing we have needed to do with her. I feel so lucky and honored to have her in my life. I know I am extra hormonal and all right now, but I am brought to tears on a DAILY basis by this little gals sweet, gentle heart and spirit. She is SO kind and sweet to everyone, everything. She just cares about others and LOVES to bring joy to people. From her "jokes" to giving hugs and kisses because, to telling us all how much she loves us, or how nice we look or hugging her dogs and cats (oh yeah, we have 2 cats now... another post about that coming next). I feel so ready and excited to see how this new baby changes and adds to her already rich life. She will be the BEST big sister ever. She has a lot of love to go around and I think she will really thrive with the new addition. I am really not worried about the transition.
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| As always, my little helper is close at hand! |
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| Please notice how she unzipped and had to show her naked belly too... She does this every time I look at my belly. |
I will also post pics of the new baby's room! We are getting close to pulling it all together. It is really cute and I think I like it even more than Mattie's nursery!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Daddy -Grandaddy Ski Day
Mattie is one lucky gal. She had THREE doting dads to take her down the slopes this week. With Grandpa Scott in town, Jim Pa, and dDad having most of the week off of work, she got an entire day at Bridger Bowl - and let me tell you, she milked it for all it was worth.
The child hardly stopped to eat or rest, she just wanted to SKI SKI SKI! At one point, she had all three of them holding out their arms, skiing backwards, giggling and laughing with her as she glided across the snow, fell down (on purpose), and demanded hand-holding and backwards skiing.
She politely asked for her "grandpas" to ski with her some runs. So, how many granddads do you think it takes to get a 2.5 year old on a lift?
They all LOVED it. I am pretty sure the grown ups had more fun than she did and I am not sure that is possible.
My big belly watched from the lodge and came out after most runs to snap some pics and give my un-needed encouragement. I love living 20 minutes from a ski hill!
This weekend we are taking a road trip back to Showdown (where we went last year with the Harrison's) for a day of skiing and some soaking at the White Sulphur Springs Motel / Pool! The Roger's family will be with us this year, so I am certain Matine will love having a sleepover with Logan, William and Sophia!
The child hardly stopped to eat or rest, she just wanted to SKI SKI SKI! At one point, she had all three of them holding out their arms, skiing backwards, giggling and laughing with her as she glided across the snow, fell down (on purpose), and demanded hand-holding and backwards skiing.
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| It was two thumbs up (or one big one with mittens) before skiing with dad. |
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| Our future little tele-skiier in the making. |
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| Skiing between the two old guys ... loving every minute! |
They all LOVED it. I am pretty sure the grown ups had more fun than she did and I am not sure that is possible.
My big belly watched from the lodge and came out after most runs to snap some pics and give my un-needed encouragement. I love living 20 minutes from a ski hill!
This weekend we are taking a road trip back to Showdown (where we went last year with the Harrison's) for a day of skiing and some soaking at the White Sulphur Springs Motel / Pool! The Roger's family will be with us this year, so I am certain Matine will love having a sleepover with Logan, William and Sophia!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
10 days later ....
Well, here is what 10 days can do to a bathroom remodel:
Glass block window complete and tiling of the shower / bath started.
Shower tile was installed ... with fun accent strip. Plumber called in to install proper pipes and rerouting of shower plumbing.
Then, 6.5ft tall wainscoting has been installed to go around entire rest of the bathroom. At this point it looks REALLY WHITE!
Parts of the walls that were to be repainted were Kilzed and then painted a lovely "outdoor cafe" color - it's a grayish/blue that I used in the baby's room as well.
At this point, the wainscoating needs to be finished, vanity lights and micro needs installed and trimmed. Trim needs to be added to top of wainscoat and floor tile trim needs to be finished, more grouting, caulking of the corners of the shower, and of course tile grout needs to be sealed on floor and shower. Oh, and of course, the new toilet and old sink need to be put back in...
For such a small space, it is a WHOLE LOTTA work!
Glass block window complete and tiling of the shower / bath started.
Shower tile was installed ... with fun accent strip. Plumber called in to install proper pipes and rerouting of shower plumbing.
Then, 6.5ft tall wainscoting has been installed to go around entire rest of the bathroom. At this point it looks REALLY WHITE!
Parts of the walls that were to be repainted were Kilzed and then painted a lovely "outdoor cafe" color - it's a grayish/blue that I used in the baby's room as well.
At this point, the wainscoating needs to be finished, vanity lights and micro needs installed and trimmed. Trim needs to be added to top of wainscoat and floor tile trim needs to be finished, more grouting, caulking of the corners of the shower, and of course tile grout needs to be sealed on floor and shower. Oh, and of course, the new toilet and old sink need to be put back in...
For such a small space, it is a WHOLE LOTTA work!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Bathroom Progress x2
We have made some serious progress in the bathroom department around here - in a couple of ways.
A.) The bathroom remodel is going swell. Peter and Jim are hard at work on phase 2 of the project, which is replacing the foggy in-shjower window with pretty, clean glass blocks. This required some reframing of the space and then the placement, indoor and outdoor grouting of the blocks and lots of discussion. Mattie and I stayed out of their way by working DOWNSTAIRS in the basement on the new baby room.
Thank GOODNESS for my mother. She is amazing. She, without blinking, swoops over and paints the room, ceiling, repairs holes, helps me move things around and re-arrange and always has great ideas for decorating (as I am a bit uninspired i.e. tired right now). Not sure what I would do without her. While we were cleaning, purging and moving, we went ahead and took a bunch of misc. furniture and fixings to my rental house which will soon become the 4th house on the Vacation Rental Property List! Shameless Plug: Please, come stay in my darling 3 bedroom home this summer when you visit (tell your friends too). There will be much more to come on that.
I am not sure what people do if they only have 1 bathroom and rely on "do it yourself" timelines with bathroom remodels. We are thankful to have the downstairs bathroom in full working order and Mattie has loved getting to lay in the bottom of the shower for her "bath time."
B) The other progress in the "bathroom" department is actual cold-turkey potty training! Yes, I chose to force Matine to use the potty in the middle of the bathroom remodel. We can look back at that later and discuss, but for now, I am not going to judge myself too harshly - it's working! Day 4 begins today and we have only had 1 pee accident and 1 poop mishap (I will spare you all the details of each).
(By the way, these photos are just to show you her new cute hat from Nona... she LOVES it and wears it everywhere)
After talking to Melynda on our last trip I decided it was time to just do it! I thought back to her weaning from the pacifier (which I thought would be hard) and it literally took me saying, "hey, there is no more pacifier." She nodded, said ok and we never heard another word about it. It has been the same with the diapers. I woke up and told her all the diapers were gone, she would be 3 years old soon, and she just can't wear them. She has to wear her panties. She smiled, nodded, and informed me that "I don't want to wear diapers anymore." She is getting a total kick out of the whole thing and has been doing great. She enjoys changing her panties for fun even when they aren't dirty - because she "wants the ones with the flowers on them." Just like changing an outfit throughout the day. Such a girl.
We picked three days that we didn't have much going on outside the house, I have pumped her with whatever she wants to eat (including salty and sugary stuff) so she will drink lots of liquids, and I just ask her every 1/2 hour if she needs to use the potty. She usually tells me when she needs to go and we go, I read Olivia Books about 12 times in a row as she holds me captive on the cold bathroom floor.... and success!
The big carrot that we are dangling at her is if she will go #2 in the middle of the day again she gets a new board game (CandyLand).
I will keep you posted on our progress!
A.) The bathroom remodel is going swell. Peter and Jim are hard at work on phase 2 of the project, which is replacing the foggy in-shjower window with pretty, clean glass blocks. This required some reframing of the space and then the placement, indoor and outdoor grouting of the blocks and lots of discussion. Mattie and I stayed out of their way by working DOWNSTAIRS in the basement on the new baby room.
Thank GOODNESS for my mother. She is amazing. She, without blinking, swoops over and paints the room, ceiling, repairs holes, helps me move things around and re-arrange and always has great ideas for decorating (as I am a bit uninspired i.e. tired right now). Not sure what I would do without her. While we were cleaning, purging and moving, we went ahead and took a bunch of misc. furniture and fixings to my rental house which will soon become the 4th house on the Vacation Rental Property List! Shameless Plug: Please, come stay in my darling 3 bedroom home this summer when you visit (tell your friends too). There will be much more to come on that.
I am not sure what people do if they only have 1 bathroom and rely on "do it yourself" timelines with bathroom remodels. We are thankful to have the downstairs bathroom in full working order and Mattie has loved getting to lay in the bottom of the shower for her "bath time."
B) The other progress in the "bathroom" department is actual cold-turkey potty training! Yes, I chose to force Matine to use the potty in the middle of the bathroom remodel. We can look back at that later and discuss, but for now, I am not going to judge myself too harshly - it's working! Day 4 begins today and we have only had 1 pee accident and 1 poop mishap (I will spare you all the details of each).
(By the way, these photos are just to show you her new cute hat from Nona... she LOVES it and wears it everywhere)
After talking to Melynda on our last trip I decided it was time to just do it! I thought back to her weaning from the pacifier (which I thought would be hard) and it literally took me saying, "hey, there is no more pacifier." She nodded, said ok and we never heard another word about it. It has been the same with the diapers. I woke up and told her all the diapers were gone, she would be 3 years old soon, and she just can't wear them. She has to wear her panties. She smiled, nodded, and informed me that "I don't want to wear diapers anymore." She is getting a total kick out of the whole thing and has been doing great. She enjoys changing her panties for fun even when they aren't dirty - because she "wants the ones with the flowers on them." Just like changing an outfit throughout the day. Such a girl.
We picked three days that we didn't have much going on outside the house, I have pumped her with whatever she wants to eat (including salty and sugary stuff) so she will drink lots of liquids, and I just ask her every 1/2 hour if she needs to use the potty. She usually tells me when she needs to go and we go, I read Olivia Books about 12 times in a row as she holds me captive on the cold bathroom floor.... and success!
The big carrot that we are dangling at her is if she will go #2 in the middle of the day again she gets a new board game (CandyLand).
I will keep you posted on our progress!
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