This weekend is devoted to.....

Yep- Potty training!

Will update a long detailed account of our weekend that I am sure will be more descriptive then most people need to know.... be on the lookout for pictures of #2 :) Yep- the big girl is not just going pee in the potty but on the second day managed to go poo 2 times!!! She is doing great and can't believe how far she's come (and how we have all been trained) in 2 days. We are so proud of her!

Much Love and the glass of wine the last 2 nights has been well deserved,
Jenny

We have a Sitter!

I am sitting! I can sit up all by myself for about 5-10 seconds. I tend to sit up longer if I have a toy in front of me. Mommy and Daddy think that any day I will be able to sit up for as long as I want... I still prefer standing though :)

Love,
Ashley

Booster Seat

Look who's at the table now?????? I can't wait to eat all that good food that I watch everyone else eat.. YUMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Love,
Ashley

Anna's Swim Lesson Recap

Anna just finished up summer swim lessons and did an excellent job! She was in a parent child swimming class at Tomahawk Ridge Community Center Pool in OP Kansas. She had 8 total classes; running two weeks time, Monday-Thursday.

Her instructor Miss Jeanette was very good with little kids and really loved working with Anna and at her last lesson told Anna how much fun she had with her. She was always impressed with how much she improved day by day.

Our first day at the pool, Anna was pretty reserved with walking into the water, dipping her head under the water, swimming on her belly and floating on her back. With Miss Jeanette's help she made HUGE strides!!!! By the end of the session she was voluntarily dunking her face under water to retrieve underwater toys (even opening her eyes under water), is almost 100% comfortable in the back float (tonight in the bath time for the first time she laid on her back to get her hair wet), is walking with such ease in the zero entry pool all the way to tippy toes and is even blowing bubbles if she happens to walk under water (she is adorable when she wipes the water out of her face and squeezes her nose to get the water out of it), is jumping into our arms really well from the side of the pool, and most importantly she is loving the time she gets in the pool. The little monkey even went down the huge slide with the instructor during the last swim lesson- I remember this slide from growing up- it's pretty scary to a 10 year old! I watched from the bottom as a serious faced and wide-eyed Anna slides down on Miss Jeanette's lap and falls off the bottom of the slide under the water. They both come up from under the water, Anna wipes her eyes and nose, looks at Miss Jeanette and says "more." WHAT.A.CHAMP!

I found a picture of the slide... it's the far slide on the left side. Let me say that the picture does it no justice. I wish I had brought along my camera- can't believe I forgot it!

Anna earned herself a certificate of completion and was so excited when Miss Jeanette gave her it. Anna said "dank" and then hugged Miss Jeanette. Another photo op that I completely missed.....

We hope she continues to feel this comfortable in the pool but not too comfortable to where she would try to get in without us. She does have no fear when it comes to the water so we feel that the continuation of swimming classes is a must (or a membership to a pool in the off season) so that she can learn the rules of the pool and eventually learn to swim.

We can't wait to watch our little fishy continue on her swimming journey! So far it has been so much fun!

Much Love,
Jenny

No, I stay, I stay!

Sometimes being the first cousin to leave Grandma and Grandpa's house can be REALLY tough! "I stay!" "No, I stay!"

Click for video link

Much Love,
Jenny

Anna Talk

Anna is talking more and more and it is so fun! She has such a great vocabulary that you catch on to pretty quickly after spending some time with her getting used to her language. I'd say she is saying close to 75 words (now they aren't perfectly phonically said but come on- she's only 22 months- I could barely say some words correctly at 4... even at 24!!)

She has for a while been saying short phrases: "I go _____", "I do _____" "I like _____" but lately she has been having active conversations with me!

For example, today in the car while looking at a book she makes a fishy noise and says her word for circles, "cird." While at a stoplight I look at the book and say that the fishy is blowing circle bubbles. She asks me, "like A?" I say, "Yes. just like Anna!" And then she adds, "in da pool?"

What fun this age is! She is beginning to be quite the chatterbox! Oh and we have tons of conversations that bystanders would think.... does this mother REALLY know what this child is saying? And both Anna and I would say, YEP- we sure do!!

Much Love,
Jenny

Anna's Wordless Wednesday

http://blog.music.aol.com/2011/07/27/justin-bieber-show-your-hearts/

Love,
Anna

Mobile

I love my new mobile! Mommy had been meaning to buy it before I was born, but finally bought it and hung it yesterday. I really love looking at it!

Love,
Ashley

Mommy and Me

There are not many evenings when it is just mommy and me, but tonight we had one. Anna and Daddy went to meet Aunt Laura, Uncle Aaron and Henry at Aqua Jams and mommy and I got to play play play! We did tons of tummy time, worked on sitting up (she wants me sitting up for my 6 month pics- that crazy lady!!), played with all my toys, played with each other and brother, read books and just enjoyed being together- the two of us. We had so much fun but were REALLY excited when Daddy and Anna got home to be with us! Can't wait to play just with Daddy sometime soon!

Love,
Ashley

Wordless Wednesday

And I guess I should clarify that the 22 month old is being potty trained, not the 5 month old! :)

Anna picked out the Minnie "Width a booow" panties and we give it a try this weekend! Stay tuned for an intensive 3 day recap Sunday night :)

Let's go for a walk...

... inside!

We have been doing a lot of stuff inside to escape the 100 degree heat here in KC! It feels like the entire month of July has been brutally hot! We can't wait for long walks outside in the fall!

Much Love,
Ashley and Anna

Dancing With Daddy

I just love Dancing with my Daddy! Believe it or not, we do it just about every night!

Love,
Anna

22 months

2 more months until I'm 2!!!!!

Happy 22 months old to me :)

*I have really started playing with big cousins Henry, Kate, Tom and Meghan a lot more then in the past. I tend to do exactly what they do or tell me to do but I have so much fun with them and I think they have fun with me!!!
*I like to snap myself into my high chair and car seat and throw fits if anyone else tries to.
*I love to gallop like a horse and hop like a bunny! I also like to quack and flap my arms like a duck.
*I love it when we go to swimming lessons, the pool or gymnastics. I love doing somersaults and can do really straight ones!
*I think it's so funny to give people the "look."
*I know 10 letters (only capitol)- A,B,D,H,K,M,O,P,T,Y. I love it when I find these letters on signs, or in books. I get so excited and say them out loud- especially down the art supply aisle at Target or on big trucks on the highway or on signs on the road.
*I love music and I love dancing to music. My favorite song is still "Baby" but I am starting to really like "The Twist"- some old song from my grandparents generation! I also like the Baby Bop Hop and the Mickey Mouse Hot Dog song. When hot dog comes on I bop my head up and down and say "like daddy," sway my head left to right and say "like a," flap my arms like a duck and say "like mommy," and pretend to suck on a pacifier and say "like baby."
*I am still napping well; anywhere from 1 1/2 - 3 hours unless of course I poop during my sleep and that ruins the rest of the nap!
*I am still sleeping well; anywhere from 10-12 hours a night. I am usually going to bed around 8 and waking after 7. I usually don't have may night wakings.
*I am a very good eater- love sandwiches- turkey, turkey pastrami, ham, bologna. I like dipping chicken fingers, fries and fish sticks in ketchup! I still love my fruits and veggies!
*My favorite toys are puzzles, my shopping cart, my kitchen, books, markers, play doh, my babies, lambie and bunny.
*My favorite books are any of them- I am just starting to learn how to turn the pages of paper paged books and REALLY like these!
*I LOVE to wear my purple cowgirl hat. I am also beginning to wear bows more and more just like Minnie Mouse.
*I still love Barney- especially Baby Bop!
*I am starting to pick out my clothes and shoes. I usually tell mommy "aaaa aaa ahhh" because I want a "princess dress". I think any dress is a princess dress and want to wear church clothes during the week!
*When you ask me what my favorite color is, I say pink. Ask me what my second favorite color is and I say blue. Sometimes it's vice versa.
*I love m and m's- especially the blue ones!
*I am a very polite girl. I say please (actually I always whisper it for some reason) and am just beginning to understand when to use thanks (tanks).
*I really like to attempt to take my clothes on and off. I am pretty good with shoes and pants and REALLY good taking off my diapers!

I am loving life and all that I can do!!

Love,
Anna

Great Date Weekends!

The past two weekends we have had two date nights.... yup you heard it right- two nights without kids!

Thanks to both of our wonderful parents, we were able to go out for my Mother's Day gift- Dinner at Plaza III (I ate enough to feed a small country) and Starlight (Guys and Dolls)- and out to a Royals Game with Rob's work (where I also ate enough to feed me for a week). Both were very enjoyable and I wish we could do something like this every weekend!

The girls did great- they always do at both grandparent's houses; they are well adjusted to their homes. We did spend the night at our parents house after our date night because Ashley is still inconsistently waking up at odd hours through the night and we didn't want them worrying about making a bottle at 2 am and then at 5 am :) It's just much easier to nurse and I think they'd have problems with that!

We had a great time, the two of us. Can't wait for a time to sneak out together again- I am definitely one of those mother's who don't feel guilty when I am not with my kids- for I am one who cherishes both the time spent with them and without them!

Much Love and thanks again to our parents!
Jenny

She loves her belly!

I'd say this little one is on her belly 75% of the time she is awake! She just LOVES it! I think our little army crawler will be a big crawler any day :)

And check out the blonde hair- it gets lighter day by day!

Much Love,
Jenny

Still love my "babas"

I still love my "baba's" VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY much! I get three a day with milk and as many as I want with water. Sometimes on special days I get juice! I love love love my baba!!!

Love,
Anna

Tantrums

I think the terrible two's might be starting a bit early with tantrums.... we are seeing more and more of these everyday! Timeout still works and most of the tantrums occur when tired but sometimes they come out of nowhere for no reason; like this one.....

Hard not to laugh during this and even harder to ignore :) What she was crying about? We have NO idea!

Much Love,
Jenny

I miss my nice camera

$215 plus tax to fix the body of my Nikon D60..... what shall I do???? My lenses still work but the flash pop up need to be repaired....

Need to make up my mind because I miss it terribly....

Much Love,
Jenny

I guess these are decent pictures taken today but if I had my quick click they would be preciously priceless!

"I go boooook"

Today while I was downstairs feeding Ashley at my mom's, Anna and Kate ventured upstairs to the playroom all by themselves. They were being very quiet (which usually means they are up to no good) so I called up to Kate. I asked her what Anna was doing and no answer. Then I heard a "I go booook." Sure enough my little Anna had answered the question and they were both being perfect angels upstairs reading book- which by the way they LOVE doing together. Looks like my need for a mediator is slowly going away.......

Much Love,
Jenny

Aqua Jamz

Tonight we  met Aunt Laura, Uncle Aaron, Henry's Grandma and Henry at Aqua Jamz. Aqua Jamz is a kids concert/pool series that takes place in Mission on Wednesday nights during the summer. There was a live kids band, Mr Stinky Feet, and a lot of pools to play in while he sang. There were a lot of people there but that didn't keep us from having so much fun! We stayed mostly in the toddler pool but did spend time in the baby zero entry pool and the big kid pool.

Ashley spent some time in the pool but mostly she just had fun being wrapped in a towel people watching. Anna was a little fishy; showing daddy everything she has learned at swimming lessons this week. She hopped and walked around the pool, jumped from the side into the pool, swam on her back and tummy, blew bubbles and even went all the way under the water up to her eyes!!!! We all had fun playing in the pool fountains too!

See you next week Aqua Jamz!

Love,
Anna and Ashley

Baby- OOOOOOOOOOOO!

This past week, I have started singing parts to my favorite song, Baby by Justin Bieber. Mommy thinks it is hilarious and hopes to capture an event better video very soon. I just love my Baby Baby Baby O!!!!!

Click to see video

And check this video out where I am dancing with Bunny. Mommy hopes to get abetter one soon but right when I see the video camera I say SEE!!! and want to see it ASAP!

Love,
Anna

Swim Lessons

Mommy signed me up for an 8 days of 30 minute swim lessons- just mommy and me! And today was my first class and..... they....went...... AWESOME!

We signed up to take lessons at Tomahawk Ridge Pool through Overland Park Parks and Recreation. It was really affordable and Grandma was able to watch Ashley during the hour a day that we will be gone (thanks Grandma!) It was really cool being just with mommy.... when I got in the car I kept asking "Where's Baby?!" It took mommy a while to realize that I wasn't asking for my favorite song (Baby by Justin Bieber) and that I was looking for my sister! I have never driven in the car without her and thought we forgot her!!!

Today was mostly spent getting us used to the pool. And the pool was so awesome! I had a HUGE smile on my face the entire time (except during the back float) and was giggling most of the time as well. It was a zero entry pool so I was able to walk into the pool until the water was up to my chin... then I got REALLY nervous and would jump on mommy and not want to put my feet down (even when she told me I could touch!) By the end of the class, I trusted mommy and was walking a lot on my feet in the shallow end!

Here's what we worked on today!
-Walking while holding mommies hand from the entrance of the water to the deeper part. Then, without holding mommies hand, I walked right by her until the water got up to my chin. I had never walked like that into water and I just giggled and giggled!
-Hopped while holding hands in both the shallow and deeper ends (I could still touch the ground) and finally by myself. This took some time getting used to! I even galloped some too! And of course, more giggles were heard!
-Jumped from the side of the pool into mommies arms- we are working on that again tomorrow!
-Practiced blowing bubbles (I'm really good at that)
-Practices kicking while on my belly and doing the back float... I DO NOT like floating on my back! Mommy says it's her goal this week to get me okay with swimming on my back... we'll see!

Mommy was proud of me because the instructor (Miss Jeannette) asked me to go swim with her and I did without resistance- I went right into her arms! I didn't even look back at mommy until I turned around to swim back. I think mommy had a harder time then me when she took me away!

We had so much fun! When I left I blew kisses to the pool and on the way home asked mommy to go to the pool again!!! I think I am going to be a little fishy in the summer time and Can't wait for tomorrow!

Love,
Anna

PS I'll post more about swimming and what I did when it is all over. Hopefully mommy will get a picture of her and me in the water together!

I hope you Dance

I hope my girls grow up believing in this song by Lee Anne Womack.......

I Hope You Dance lyrics
Songwriters: Sanders, Mark D.; Sillers, Tia;

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances but they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth making

Don't let some hell-bent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
( From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/l/lee-ann-womack-lyrics/i-hope-you-dance-lyrics.html )

I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder)
I hope you dance
(Where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

Dance
I hope you dance
(Dance)
I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder)
I hope you dance
(Where those years have gone)

Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder
(Dance)
Where those years have gone
(Dance)

....But most of all, may they always have the enthusiasm, positive outlook on life and wonder of a 2 year old :)
Much Love,
Jenny

Dancing With Sister

 Anna wants to dance with Ashley but gets a little bossy with wanting Ashley to hop and dance like a princess. So then she goes solo!!!

click here to see video

Love,
Anna and Ashley

The Early Bird?

I know they say the early bird gets the worm but I know I'd rather be sleeping! I love sleeping; especially sleeping in. Apparently my children didn't inherit this from me!

It's 5:45 am and I have a happy cooing baby swinging upstairs in her swing while I lay in bed trying to get another 45 minutes of sleep before Anna wakes up. I toss and turn because slowly my 45 minutes are ticking away, down to 40, then 35. What a waste to just be lying here so instead I head downstairs to have some me time.

And I get to thinking.... Anna went through this phase being an early bird for the first 16 months or so. I thought I was in the clear with Ashley because she was always sleeping past 7, most of the time past 8. But recently that has changed. Either one of two scenarios happen and I don't know which one I like best

1. She sleeps through the night. Goes to bed around7/ 8. Wakes to eat around 9/10. Wakes to get  diaper changed and eat at 5:30ish. I would skip the diaper changed but it is soaking wet- almost to the point of through her clothes and they don't make sleep diapers that I know of in size 2.... maybe I should wrap her in two diapers :). I change her before eating but that doesn't help as she is smiling at me from this time on. So she gets put in the swing until her sister wakes up or in the event that she falls asleep, until she wakes up. And she likes the swing but she is starting to outgrow it (it is a dreaded day when that happens).

2. She doesn't sleep through the night. Goes to bed around 7/8. Sleeps through her late night waking/feeding (I don't wake her anymore) and around 1 (diaper changed) and again around 4 she wakes to eat and the wakes for the day around 7/8. It sounds worse then the first scenario but she is such a barracuda nurser and is changed, fed and back in her crib within 15 minutes (she has been this way since birth which is REALLY nice). So it really isn't that bad but I don't get a long period of sleep which I feel helps me function a little better the next day.

I know that in time I will get more sleep (I am by no way sleep deprived though) and I guess it could be much worse- we really did get a good sleeper- but I am someone who always would like more sleep so it baffles me that my kids are fine being early risers. I should have reconsidered this when marrying one :)

A second thought, isn't there only supposed to be one early bird and doesn't it live outside?

Much Love,
Jenny

Somersault

Just in! I did it! I did it! I did it!

Not just one but LOTS of perfect somersaults all by myself on my gym mat! I started doing this a couple of days ago for daddy and just showed mommy tonight. I still do some where I roll over my shoulder or to the side but I can finally do a good one!!!! I can't wait to go to gymnastics on Saturday and show my gymnastics teacher!

Enjoy the video! My best somersault is my last one!!!

http://youtu.be/wtyPTVrM4SI

Love,
Anna

Videos

We have tons of videos and mommy decided to take the time tonight to upload them to a youtube site. We will see how long this lasts because it takes SO long to upload!

Our first video..... Attack of the Living Somersault!!! Enjoy us watching Ashley "sit" like a tripod only to be attacked by a somersault.... Attention craving much Anna?!?! OH the love of sisters!

video

Love,
Anna and Ashley

M and M Potty Update

We have been doing the M and M potty training routine for about a week now and we have made great strides! We are waiting for a weekend where we have nothing going (in about 2 weeks) to really hit it hard and have her running around naked with eyes on her 100% of the time but are having fun with getting her excited aboutgoing potty now.

Anna is telling us correctly that she is going pee or poop most of the time. I would say at least 3-4 times a day. Mostly she is telling us about her peepees because most the time she leaves the room to go poop. She can take her shorts off and even her diaper. She can sit on the toilet for prolonged periods of time just waiting for peepee and tells us "No peepee" when nothing comes out. She is even understanding where it comes from and watches that area for quite some time while on the potty. She even is wiping herself with diaper changes and after attempts on the potty.

But the hard part is getting her to realize BEFORE she goes that she needs to go. I really think she will learn what the time to potty feeling is when we are doing the extreme naked potty training in a couple of weeks. But tonight before bed I feel like she was trying to tell us before she started going. She grabbed at her crouch area and said "I go pee pee." We were putting Ashley to bed and Rob told her to STOP!!! But we were a couple second late on getting her to the potty and could feel her diaper getting warm. But then I think she had listened to Daddy because in the potty she left a little bit of pee pee! We flushed it away down the toilet and then went to get 2 M and M's (one for telling us and another for going in the potty).

I really think the M and M's have been effective at teaching Anna everything she currently knows about pottying and will be a good bribe to continue. It has also helped her learn some colors too! The only negative is when Anna eats an M and M so does her face, ears and fingers.... she is a complete mess!! One M and M and it looks like she's had a bagful. I think I have my father to thank for some of this because he has Anna thinking that M and M's appear out of her ears. And since Anna thinks Papa is pretty great she tried to put them in her ears just like him.... thanks Dad :)

Here is a picture of her ear while eating an M and M.... Can you guess the color?

Much Love,
Jenny

Any tips on potty training? I've never done it before so let me know!

It's the Teacher in Me

I love to play. I love to dance. I love to hang out. But I can only do that for most of the day, not the entire day. So, the teacher in me has come out and we are beginning to learn the alphabet!

Using markers, paper and Anna's new leap frog learning laptop we are spending 3 blocks of time around 10 minutes each on learning our letters. I draw the letter on a piece of paper and as I draw it I say it a bunch of times. I then ask Anna to say the letter. Then I relate the letter to something in her life (for examples D is for Daddy). Rob came up with this idea when teaching her her first letter, D, and it has has stuck with her for weeks now. Every time she sees a D she says Daddy and gets SO proud!! And then to end our "lesson" I then show her where the letter is on her laptop and then press it. The laptop says the letter name, sound and an animal that starts with it. It's really nice because it also shows the letter on the screen.

Here are the letters we can say properly and read when we see them on things (only capitol right now)!
A- Anna
B- Baby
D- Daddy
K- Kate
M-Mommy
O- O!
P- Peanut

I'm so proud of my little girl. And to think she REALLY REALLY REALLY enjoys this too! Today she got out her laptop, asked for markers and then started saying and pressing the letters on her laptop. She then motioned me to my seat at her table. We are going to have so much fun learning together!!

Much Love,
Jenny

New thing

I really like hopping and jumping and lately I have been hopping and jumping on couches and beds. This does not make mommy and daddy happy so I am in timeout most of the time I do it. They always tell me to sit on my bottom or knees. So now I hop on my knees on the couch or bed and they really don't know what to think of this new thing because I am on my knees (I am SO smart!). I have also started to walk straight off the couch without holding on to anything or even squatting down (this makes me land most of the time on my knees or face) and I have just started to jump off the couch while on my knees. There is no wonder that if you look at my knees they are pretty much coated with bruises! I am just one WILD woman!

Love,
Anna

Dancing

Dancing with myself, with baby, with my animals, with mommy, with daddy and with peanut.... I LOVE TO DANCE!!!!!

I am always requesting Justin Beiber's "Baby" and mommy has made a new rule that I have to listen to at least one different song before "Baby" or otherwise we would listen to "Baby" over 100 times a day. My best dance move is dance walking back and forth to "Baby" and shaking my bottom! And of course I put my arms over my head and try to make a heart with my fingers to the song too!

Other Dance Moves
When the Hot Dog song comes on from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse I either sway back and forth (that's my move), put my arms like a ducky (that's mommys move) or bob my head up and down (that's daddy's move). If you ask me what mommy/daddy/anna does with this song I usually show you! I do all the motions to "If your happy and you know it" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider." Someday mommy will get it on video (right when she starts to record me doing the song I stop and demand to see the video right then and there).

Let's Dance!

Love,
Anna