It's Little Lost Soul...

I have now been without my nursing cover for 9 days... **tear**. I had it out at Great Wall in Derby to feed Little A, but I never ended up using it- and that is the last place that I remember having it. I didn't notice it was missing until 2 days later, and when we called, they practically cut us off before we were finished speaking insisting that they didn't have it. Considering the difficulty of communication over the phone, I marched my little behind in there and asked again. I SWEAR that is where I left it. "Nope, nope, nothing like that", they said. So, I had to resign myself to the fact that someone grabbed it up or an employee of Great Wall in wrapped up in the awesomeness of my Bebe Au Lait, with it's vibrant teal cotton covered in playful polka dots. **Sigh**

So, admittedly, I sound overly accusatory. I apologize. I am just bitter, is all. How could I forget such a vital part of my every day life these days. I am sorry, but I am just too busy and too adventurous to stay at home all day with two kids. No sir-ee Bob. I have got to go out and see the world. And, seeing as I was "blessed" with a nice sized rack... er... chest... I need my cover, people. No one in the general public wants to see those babies (unless it's just a peek from a cute little v-neck or something). So, now do you see my dilemma?

Why don't I use a regular $2 receiving blanket, you ask, instead of my $40 "luxury" cover. It's simple- my kid is too damn smart to let me cover her face with a blanket. She is a living, breathing, little girl. She flails around like nobody's business the moment that receiving blanket curbs her vision, thrashing and clawing to get out and see some sunlight. It just doesn't work.

And I can't make one, either, so don't even go there. The thought of myself holding a needle and thread or trying to navigate around a sewing machine is laughable. Utterly. So sad, so true.

So, for now I will have to struggle to avoid flashing the entire universe (well, at least the entire population of Target shoppers) each time I feed Little A. At the very least, this gives me an excuse to go peruse Marshmallow Kisses on Friday. Yes, I can always find a silver lining!

Halloween, Part III

The quintessential picture of my toddler these days- faceless. Is it EVER hard to get her to look at a camera. I miss those days of ignorant smiles and coos.

Anyway, last night was the meetup group's Spooktacular Halloween Party up in Bel Aire. It was lots of fun- over 100 people. The kids were all so cute in their costumes and Sassy had a great time. I swear, give a big group of kids a stage and some music- that's all they need. Forget the games. Forget the crafts. The ran around like crazy people!

I didn't get many good photos- I sort of went on hiatus after being a crazy camera person the night prior. I just wasn't feeling it. I am not going to lie- I am pretty happy with the notion that I don't have to look at the girls Halloween costumes again for 5 days. I am Halloween-ed out! We'll dress them up on Friday and take them trick-or-treating, and then it will all be over. Then the real fun can begin- preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas... not that I haven't started that already!

I ♥ the holidays!

Chicken Boy

OK, so seriously, Sassy said the funniest thing this morning. Tyler, Sassy, and I were in Little A's nursery putting away laundry. Ty took Sassy to the potty, and I guess he made her mad for some reason. So, she told him in a very firm, stern voice, "You a chicken boy, Daddy"! Ty immediately cracked up, which made her even more mad. Then she yelled, "You a CHICKEN BOY"!! I thought I was going to die. Where on earth does she come up with this stuff??

Halloween, Part II

Yesterday afternoon, we drove out to Augusta for another Halloween get-together. Our friend Monica throws an annual Halloween party, and this year everyone from her mommy board was invited! They live out on 40 acres of land, and it was really a great place for a party! The weather was gorgeous. We survived a week of rainy, gloomy weather to have this beautiful, sunny, crisp fall day. It was awesome outside!

Everyone brought all kinds of food and treats and Monica set up games in her barn, a giant bounce house for the kids, and we did crafts in the garage. She had treat bags for the kids to pick up, and each station had goodies and treats to collect. The kids also got to decorate pumpkins with these really cool pieces- it was like a Mr. Potato Head pumpkin! The kids had so much fun and it was great- they could run around and explore with minimal adult supervision- ;).

The sunset was fantastic, and the whole thing makes me want to put our house on the market and move to a farm. I want a barn. I want room to run! I want cows, too, but that's a whole other post. Anyway, thanks for the awesome party, Monica!

Just Call Me Martha Stewart...

Sassy and I made some cookies to take to the Halloween party this evening... the turned out pretty great! Thought I'd share... we made Witch Hat cookies and Eyeball cookies.

Little Tink...

Sassy has been quite obsessed with Tinkerbell as of late. She has always fancied her, and her Tinkerbell nightgowns are among her favorites. But, now, since the new Disney movie is coming out next week, Tinkerbell is everywhere. On everything. You know how it goes.

Sassy wants to wear her Tinkerbell panties constantly. I try to explain to her that only 3 out of her 476 pairs of panties have Tinkerbell on them, but of course, that doesn't matter in the least. She says the name so cute, too. Comes out something like "Tink-oo-baaeeeell". Sort of the same inflection as many of you have heard with "Cind-oo-ELLLAAAAH".

So, she wanted to wear her Tinkerbell sweatshirt today. I put her hair up, we went outside, and I realized... she looks like her. I have my very own little Tink...

...and she's just as imp-ish, too.

Halloween, Part I

Halloween has officially started for us! Last night, we went to a Costume Bash at Hillside Christian Church as a fundraiser for Discovery Place preschool (Sassy has friends that go there). So, it was our first chance to get the girls dressed up in their gear and enjoy the Halloween spirit.

We had a great time. For $8, they had a lot of neat activities for the kids. There were probably 15 Halloween themed games arranged around the room, and the kids got to pick one or two prizes each time they played a game. Some prizes consisted of candy, others were trinkets. Sassy was most excited about her vampire rubber duck and glow in the dark snake. They also had a bake sale, a silent auction with tons of neat things, and a huge bounce house.

Sassy and Little A got some oohs and ahs for their costumes... who hoo! I am totally into the spirit of this homemade costume thing now, even though only a small portion of our costumes were actually homemade. It was fun to be thrifty and try to do unique things, too. Is it bad that I already have both costumes picked out for the girls next year, and they are much loftier than these. I wonder if I will even be able to "sway" Sassy into what I want her to be next year- she will be 3. Geesh!


We have many more Halloween activities ahead, so stay tuned!

The Sick in Her Eyes

There's a certain look Sassy gets when she is feeling under the weather. Her eyes look sad and droopy and pathetic... poor girl. She is trying to play as normal, but I can tell she is just feeling miserable.

Sassy had a rough night last night. She was up coughing and running a fever. She climbed in and out of our bed several times, and she just couldn't get a good night's rest. Needless to say, neither could I. I hate it when she is sick like that. I always feel so helpless- there's just not much I can do. Sassy always gets super cuddly and extra clingy when she is feeling icky, so I do enjoy the extra cuddle!

I'm just hoping she gets to feeling better very soon. We have Halloween stuff planned Thursday-Sunday, and I would hate for her to miss out. She is so excited to be a witch!

So, I always say "Bless You" when someone sneezes, and Sassy's new thing is to remind me to do so. She just sneezed a second ago, and I was apparently too busy typing to notice and process and respond. Sassy just tapped me on the leg and said, "Say Bless You, Mommy". OK, Sassy. Sorry! Better pay attention...

What Do You Know?

I actually tried the girls Halloween costumes on them head to toe (minus Little A's ears, which have yet to be made) and they actually looked really cute! Yeah, me! Can't wait to take pics of them all decked out!!

Eeeeew, Shots...

Yes, the dreaded experience: Sitting at the Dr's office helplessly as they STAB your newborn baby with needles. SO not the way I would like to spend my Monday morning!

As you may have guessed, Little A had her 2-month check-up this morning. Of course, Sassy woke up this morning with a horrible cough and a 101.9 fever. Yeah. She's actually been in remarkably high spirits considering... she is usually a hand-full and a half when she is running a temp. She sort of delighted in taking Little A to the Dr. and watching her get shots instead of herself. I pondered whether or no this should bother me, and mucked it up to normal 2-year-old logic.

Little A weighed 11 pounds, 2 ounces. She is in the 57th percentile for weight, which is probably at least 30 percentile points greater than what Sassy was at 2 months... at least. It's no wonder she feels like a lug to us! She is perfectly healthy and meeting all of her milestones, as rudimentary as they may be at her tender age. Good news!

Let's just keep our fingers crossed that Sassy snaps out of this little bug soon so that we may spare ourselves another trip to the direful pediatrician!

Apple Picking

While Ty was in KC, Lynzee and I decided to take all the girls apple picking. We went to Steffen Orchard in Conway Springs- it was a lot of fun. I vividly remember apple picking as a child, so I was very excited to take Sassy and Little A. We packed a picnic lunch and drove out to the apple trees to eat. Then we picked apples! We got some Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and one other type that I can't recall the name of.

It was a similar experience to our strawberry picking adventure this summer. The girls are a bit too young to really understand which ones to pick, so we had bruised apples, wormy apples, you name it. But, they had a great time. Here are some pics:

2 Months...

Little A is 2 months old today! Happy Birthday, Little A!

Slumber Party

So, Tyler left for KC after work yesterday to run the half marathon, and the girls and I had a fun night in! We decided to have a slumber party. I had to drop Ty off in Old Town to catch his ride, so we hit up Walmart on the way home. We bought some microwave popcorn and rented two movies from RedBox.

As soon as we came home, we put on our jammies and got ready for our slumber party. Sassy was SO excited! All she could talk about was watching Ariel (we rented that new Little Mermaid movie) and popcorn! We got all cozy in bed, and watched the movie (quite painful, if I do say so myself). Sassy ate more popcorn than I did, and we drifted off to dreamland without Daddy's help... ahhhh!

Fun times, just us girls!

Oh, Glory Day!!!

She did it!! Sassy did it!!! Last night, she pooped in the potty. Now, she has pooped on the potty before, but this was months ago. The pooping issue has been the major hang-up in our potty training adventure. She flat out refuses to try to poop on the potty. She gets very worked up about it, really. So, this was a huge accomplishment!!

We were all in the basement playing and reading books. She was walking towards me to give me another book, and she got "the look" in her eyes. I know that look. It's unmistakable. So, I practically yelled "Sassy, do you have to go poop". "No", she replies. "Are you sure", I ask. "Don't haf to go poop", she says. I knew she did, so I just blurted it out- "We-will-go-get-ice-cream if you poop on the potty!" She said, "Hooray!" and ran to the bathroom. She hopped upon her Elmo potty seat and sat... and sat... and sat. She peed... she sat. She sang... she sat. She kept wanting to get down and we kept encouraging her to stay. Finally... she pooped!

We were so excited. We clapped and high-fived and danced and sang. It was a real celebration. She was a little freaked out about flushing, but all in all, it went well. We washed her hands, got out of our jammies that we had already changed into, and went to Braum's for ice cream at, like, 9:30 at night. I actually had to dig out change from one of our piggy banks to have enough money, but we went! Sassy, of course, wanted chocolate, and I think she enjoyed every bite. Yeah for Sassy!

Stinkin' Cute Part I

Cute Shoes

So, if anyone knows me, they know I am a shoe fanatic. Well, since having kids, I have become a shoe fanatic... for them! Sadly, Sassy has inherited my unusually wide feet, so we do have a bit of a challenge finding her the right kind of shoes that fit well. Unfortunately for our bank account, these shoes tend to be a lot more expensive than the shoes I could find her at Target or Pay-Less or something.

Sassy is known as the Mary Jane queen, but they are a good style for her because they have some room to stretch to fit her little boxcars. So, she sports them pretty much all year long.

Well, I found 2 of the cutest pairs at Amazon on a really good clearance, so I ordered them for her to put towards her Christmas gifts. They are so cute- I had to share my finds. The first pair is by See Kai Run (originally $37.95). The second pair is by Willits (originally $45.95). I ordered one pair in a 7 (she is just getting into a 7) and the other in an 8. Guess what... for both pairs of shoes... with tax, I spent $31.66 with FREE Super Saver shipping, of course. Go me!

They're only carrots...

I have recently begun to get into being "thrifty". I have been inspired by some friends who save lots and lots of money grocery shopping, stocking up on necessary supplies, etc. I have friends who swear they consistently get things for free or nearly free. Having heard some tips and tricks, I have started looking at different websites, printing coupons, ordering free samples, and even buying the Sunday paper for coupons.

It is rather exhilarating the first time you feel like you get a good deal. I clipped some coupons a few weeks back, and we saved $27 at the grocery store- and we only bought things we actually needed. It makes me think, hell, how long could I have been saving $27 here and there?

Yesterday was the first time I actually sat and clipped coupons out of the Sunday paper. I figured it was a good week to do so because we just happen to be running out of many staples- toilet paper, paper towels, toothpaste, shampoo, etc. I was pretty pumped because I found a $3 coupon for the shampoo I would like to buy. Score!

So, I was browsing the Target ad and it said that baby carrots were going to be on sale for 0.99 cents down from, like, $1.29 or something. Low and behold- there was a Target coupon for $1 off Green Giant baby carrots. I felt like I won the lottery or something. FREE carrots. Who Hoo! So, anyway, I will enjoy every bite of my free carrots, thank you very much!

The "Fglaminkos"

We went to the Z-O-O today, which was great! One of Sassy's little friends had his third birthday party there this afternoon, and afterwards, we took the opportunity to walk around and see all the "aminals", as Sassy would say.

Every night before bed, we have a ritual where we get hugs & kisses, and talk about what fun things we are going to do the next day. Well, Sassy has it down to a science. We cannot skip a bedtime step, oh no. So, she always says "Do somefin fun tomowow" and then we discuss. So, last night, I told her about the party and the zoo, and she was SO excited. I about thought it was going to backfire on me because she was SO stimulated by our talk, I thought she may never go to bed. Anyway, I asked her what she wanted to see at the zoo, and she said LIONS! I asked her what else, and she said ELEPHANTS! I asked her what else, and she said FGLAMINKOS! I was like, huh? What?? It took me a minute of her saying it over and over, until I got that it was flamingos that she wanted to see. FUNNY! Here are a couple more pictures that I took:

We can't forget about her...

Little A turned 7 weeks last Monday. Yes... in 2 days, she will be 8 weeks old! What?!?!? She is such a precious little girl. She is starting to smile more often and she seems like she in really starting to look around at her surroundings. I think she will have a more subdued personality than Sassy. She is generally calmer and more quiet. Here are a couple of recent pictures of her...

Little A on her 7-week birthday:

Little A this morning:

Firetrucks Galore

So, this morning was Mulvane's Emergency Services Annual Open House. We took Sassy and Little A to see the firetrucks and were able to tour the inside of the station. As an added benefit- free hot dogs and hamburgers. With today's economy, who can turn down a free lunch??

We met up with Lynzee and her girls at the open house. The girls had a great time meeting Sparky, the fire station dog. Sassy was a little tentative at first, but who can blame her? I may be a bit concerned if my 2-year-old wasn't slightly skittish around a giant, dressed animal acting somewhat idiotic and approaching her with fervor!

The inside of the fire station was pretty neat. Mulvane Emergency Services celebrated their 100 year anniversary back in 2005, and they have a lot of old equipment and engines from way back when- pretty neat stuff to see.

Of course, Sassy thoroughly enjoyed the eating part. She chowed down on her hot dog like a champ. We have to prevent her from sharing food with Little A- she is always concerned about her little sister, and she is just not grasping the concept the Little A can't eat the same things she does. At least she willing to share with her baby sister, which is more than I expected, so I'll take it!! Sassy and Daddy enjoyed exploring the inside of the firetruck. The guys were great and let the kids climb in, pretend to drive, etc. All in all, we enjoyed some cheap (free) entertainment this beautiful Saturday morning!

Ode to the Snoogle

Sassy and Little A wrapped in in the Snoogle How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

My relationship with my Snoogle started on a cold, wintry New Years Eve night in Minnesota in 2005. Tyler and I were in Mankato visiting his parents, having driven there straight from our Chicago Christmas trip to see my family. I was about 22 weeks pregnant, and Tyler and I were commiserating about how lame we were sitting at home on New Years Eve while his parents were at a gathering enjoying food and drink and conversation.

So, what else do you do on New Years Eve, of course, but to go out to eat. We drove into town on some very icy roads and landed at the nearest Buffalo Wild Wings. Mmm... wings. Anyway, once we were finished, I begged and begged Tyler to stop off at Target. Surely, that would improve my mood... as Target always does! As any new mommy-to-be, I made a beeline for the baby department- as if we needed to be adding anything else to our little Pontiac for the drive home to Ames. I was perusing the aisles, tossing baby thing after baby thing aimlessly into my cart, and then... I SAW IT!! The most wonderful thing in the world. The object of my heart's most desperate yearning- a pregnancy pillow.

But, this was not your run-of-the-mill wedge pillow, NO. This was a Snoogle! A beautiful, curvy, loopy bundle of greatness. I HAD to have it. Forget that Christmas was just days ago and I had gotten my fair share of gifts. None of the mattered. Tyler eventually conceded, despite the $50+ price tag. I wrapped up my Target trip and skipped to the car, eager to return to Ty's parents house and unfurl my new treasure.

Oh, what a glorious night of sleep that was, my first night with my Snoogle. It was so soft and cozy and bendy. I could wrap it around me in a variety of ways, and I hadn't had a better night sleep for many a month. Throughout the rest of my pregnancy, the Snoogle and I were never far apart. Tyler coveted more bed space, because at the time, we were sharing a full sized bed. None of that mattered to me, though- as long as I had my Snoogle.

Of course, the Snoogle made the trip with us to the hospital for the arrival if Miss Sassy. It proved to be a wise decision, as it offered support after my c-section and definitely proved to be the BEST breastfeeding pillow available. Step aside, Boppy. I mean, really. The Snoogle gave me back support whilst providing a resting place for Sassy's body against mine- what more could you ask for?

Not only did I use my Snoogle religiously as a breastfeeding pillow, but it became one of Sassy's very favorite resting places (supervised, of course)!! I just made my Snoogle into a little snail and plopped her right in the middle- it tricked her into thinking she was still being cradled, and for a baby who refused to be set down, this was invaluable.

Now, after I was done with my pregnancy, Tyler of course assumed that the Snoogle would find a resting place other then our bed... but NO. How could I give up such a thing?? Yes, that Snoogle has remained with me every single night since, much to Tyler's chagrin. All the way through my second pregnancy it stayed. I even entertained the thought of buying a new one, as mine is all lumpy in certain places, I have ripped through 2 pillowcases (side note- the pillow cases NEED a zipper), but I just stayed with old tried and true. Now, Little A enjoys the Snoogle just as Sassy did. I expect the Snoogle will remain a part of our family for some time.

Thanks, Snoogle!

She's an O-G-R-E

When Sassy is angry, she likes to imitate intimidating animals in order to "scare" us. Her usual in the dinosaur roar, claws up and everything. Lately, she has been hissing at us like a snake. It is so hard not to laugh because she is so funny, but she is trying to be so serious. I'd hate to laugh at her and make her feel bad, but I just can't help myself sometimes.

Well, last night, I about lost it. I was asking her not to do something in the car (probably spitting) and she yelled to me "I'm an Ogre" and made the funniest crumpled up face imaginable. Shrek is just about her favorite movie, so that is obviously where she got it from, but it is surreal to me that she is able to extrapolate the fact that ogres are scary and persist to be one in anger. My goodness, she is a smart cookie.

Unfortunately, Sassy had to take a time-out from daddy before bed last night for not brushing her teeth. I was in the basement with Little A, and I could hear all of the events unfold. When she was sitting in her room on time-out, once again, she was yelling "I'm and ogre, I'm and ogre daddy!" Man, it was funny. We'll have to see what other creatures she comes up with now!

Look at Her Grow!

20062007
2008

Pumpkin Patch, Part I

Sassy on her John Deere:Mommy & Little A:
Little A on the pumpkin scale- it said 11 lbs.- NO WAY!!:
Sassy playing "peek":
Little A and the pumpkins:
Sassy & the pumpkins:

Sassy & her friend from the mommy group:
Daddy & Sassy jumpin' on the pillow jumper:
Sassy having a ball:
Daddy & Sassy on the "scary" mountain slide:
Well, we made our first trip to Walter's Pumpkin Patch yesterday. It is such a fantastic pumpkin patch- I cannot say enough great things about it. Sure the admission prices went up this year, as did the concessions. I am just grateful they are able to stay afloat with the economy and keep providing great entertainment- they added some really cool new features this year, too.

We met up with some friends from our parents group, which was great. It was a beautiful day, a bit windy, but great temps! Sassy enjoyed the train ride and pillow jumper best. She was a little scared of the mountain slide, even though dad went down with her. She picked out a gourd and enjoyed multiple cups of pumpkin juice... they day before her dentist appointment, of course.

We hope to make another trip to Walter's closer to Halloween and pick out our pumpkins for carving. Hopefully, the weather will be a bit cooler then.

Trees and Apples and Pears... oh my!

So, it's fall again- our favorite season! There is nothing I enjoy more than shopping for cute fall clothes. OK, maybe there are some things, but whatever. Anyway, the girls looked so cute in these little fall dresses- Sassy's dress has little trees on it and Little A's dress has apples and pears. As per the usual Saturday, I attempted a little family photo-op. Here is Sassy with a streak of the devil in her pretty little eyes:
Here is my smart, smart Sassy showing me her big blue eyes. It is near impossible to get her to look directly at my camera these days, so I asked her to show me her pretty blue eyes, which caused her to do this in return:
Sassy is telling Little A stories here- telling her about the three little pigs and the big, bad wolf huffing and puffing- we had just read that story inside:
I love this one- Sassy laughing like the devil and Little A is like, HELP. Save me... so many more years of this to come!
Little A taking it all in- she enjoys her time outside and loves to look at the trees, feel the wind blow, etc:
My girlies are getting bigger by the day and we are enjoying them SO, SO much. I love watching Sassy be a great big sister. Little A is lucky to have a sister that adores her to no end and I can't wait to see them experience all that life has to offer together. I hope they will be best friends!