Snow Day!

Today, I was lucky enough to stay home with the girls because of the blowing snow. We are enjoying the day playing, making crafts, indulging in naps, and watching movies.

Somebody had intentions of making a tent, but fell into a deep slumber instead:

Photo Bomb

Very rarely, the girls let me get such sweet pictures of them...sitting together...smiling at the camera...maybe with their arm around each other....


And the next time, BAM. Reality hits me right in the face and this is what I get:

Update On Everybody!

This weekend was pretty quiet, considering we had cold/bad weather. Here is what we've been up to!

Erin: Erin has mastered the art of clapping. She is so stinkin cute clapping everywhere she goes! She also has started to shorten the word "Ba-Ba." You have no idea how cute it is hearing "Bob!" echo across the house. She just makes my heart melt. =)

Derek and Ella: The highlight of their weekend was sledding down our street in Denver! It was so icy on Sunday, both of them decided to have a little fun. Hopefully this video works!
Bobsledding in Denver

Me: The highlight of my weekend was painting the dining room. It has been the same color since we've moved in. Derek, who was not excited about the project, reminded me that this was the only room I haven't painted besides the kitchen. What can I say, a painted wall is a happy wall!

Before: (This is the only picture i can find right now. The walls were neutral and stale with a strange pink-ish tint to it.)

After! This is called "Smoked oyster," its looking pretty gray here but has some brown in it. I also added some peacock colored accessories (blue/teal/purple) but I think it's still missing something. Oh well, its an improvement!

First Dream

Last night, Erin woke up at about 1am. I ended up giving her a bottle, and she went to bed. Half asleep, I headed back to my bed. En route, I happened to encounter Ella leaping into the hallway in her jammies trying to catch me. “Will you tuck me in?” she whispered, with her hair covering most of her face.  Erin must’ve woke her up. I gestured toward her bed and followed her in there. As she laid down, I covered her up again. She whispered, “I don’t like brown kitties.  Little brown kitties. They are mean to me.”  and turned on her side.

After almost a year of probing Ella to tell me what dreams (pictures) she has at night, I think I witnessed Ella sharing her very first dream!

Isn't Life Funny!

This is a picture of my best friend, Lindsay and I (20 years ago).
Below that is a picture of our 4 girls who are growing up together 6 blocks away and sharing the same daycare. :)

A New Sister?

Note: "Ava" is a pal from the babysitter's house.

Ella: "Mom, can Ava come stay at our house?"
Me: "Babe, I don't even know Ava. Or her family."
Ella: "Yes huh!"
Me: "Not really!"
Ella: "It's Ava. Ava Jo Gustafson."

A Moment in the Spotlight

Erin was featured in Sunday's "Bundles of Joy" edition in the newspaper, which is a yearly tradition that publishes hundreds of the community's tiniest little wonders in a section of the newspaper. Here is a small snapshot of our little celebrity (which just happens to include her cousin Easton, too!).

A Cold 3 Day Weekend

This weekend has reminded us how cruel winter can be.... with wind chill hovering around -20 degrees, we spent a lot of time indoors!! Luckily, Candyland, markers, and a mirror can keep us occupied for hours!!

 Ella has really enjoyed coloring and drawing lately. She's been working on letters, pictures, and trying to color inside the lines of a coloring book.

Erin got her top two teeth over the weekend! One night when we went out to eat, we noticed she was gnawing at our (wooden) table while we were eating our meal. About 10 minutes later, she stopped and started to eat some snacks. I stuck my finger in her mouth and sure enough, both of them surfaced!! I am so happy to see them, it seems they've taken an eternity to come through.  Erin has also started to stand again things...the couch, the chair, toys, etc. She is still pretty wobbly but so giggly when she can see the world from this view!!

The Dreams of a 3 Year Old

Ella (leaning her head on my shoulder): "Mom? Can I paint my house purple?"
Me: "Yeah. Sure."
Ella: "Today?"
Me: "Alright."
Ella: "But can you help me get way up high outside?"

I love that no matter how random, crazy, messy, stinky, insane, crabby, goofy, or frustrating my morning is with the girls, I always have something to laugh about on my way to work.

Erin - 8 Months

This Thursday, Erin will be 8 months old!! I almost can't believe 2/3 of her first year has passed. I spent most of Sunday switching her closet to bigger sized clothes, and Derek transitioned her into a bigger car seat. She's growing up fast!

Favorite Trait: Her thick little legs and her dimple
Typical night's sleep: Bedtime around  7 or 7:30,  eat at 4, up at 6 
Food Schedule: Roughly 6 bottles and 2 meals per day
Favorite food: Bananas or applesauce
Favorite Activities: Bathtime and time in her bouncer
Words: Still only saying "Ba-ba." We've heard Ma-ma and Da-da but only a time or two!
Nicknames: Peanut, Er-Bear
Weight: 21 lbs
Teeth: 2
Personality: So, so sweet. Loves to be talked to/played with, has such a sweet giggle. Still our little "concerned citizen."Very easy going as long as her belly is full. :)
Newest discoveries: Erin is scooting all around the house. She still does the army crawl, dragging her body everywhere.She has a hard time seeing me go to a different room, but luckily now she can follow me. :) She also is beginning to crawl up onto things. Getting quite independent!  Loves to feel textures--hair, blankets, strings, the cat's tail :)

Sass-a-Frass

As Derek and I are bickering back and forth:

Ella (in her sassy tone): "Is there a problem here?"

Tootsies

The only thing cuter than chubby little feet...

Is wrinkly, chubby little feet!!

Two Little Does

Purple deer shirts from Santa! I can't think of anything more perfect for daughters of a deer hunter (who are mildly obsessed with purple).

It's getting so hard to photograph these two together--can you tell Ella has Erin in a restraint? lol

"I Got A Bite!"

Lately, Erin has been really content playing on the floor either by herself or with Ella. All is well except when you're buried in the computer or a newspaper. You're completely in a zone and all of a sudden....CHOMP! She bites your big toe. With no warning. Derek and I BOTH had this happen to us!

The House That Never Sleeps

A conversation between Derek and I, as we continue to struggle with sleeping issues. Last night, it was Ella, who we found sleeping between us and waking us up at 5AM.

"We need to make sure Ella doesn't crawl into bed until the morning. Like...7:00."
"I agree."
"No, seriously."
"I know. I agree with you."
"Then why did you let her sleep in our bed in the middle of the night?"
"I didn't! I noticed her when she woke us up telling us she needs to go potty."
"That's when I found her. Are you sure you didn't tell her she could climb up?"
"I'm positive. She must've crawled up from the bottom of the bed."
"Does it alarm you that neither of us woke up to a third person in our bed?"

First Day Back

Our holiday break is officially over. We returned to work and the girls returned to the babysitters! It was very sad to think my vacation with them is over; I've really enjoyed having so much one-on-one time with them. Both of the girls are at such a fun age.

I spoiled Erin non-stop with rocking her to sleep several times a day. Not our usual routine but I don't care, I don't get the opportunity very often!! She's just starting to try to climb up on pant legs and chairs and follow you into the other room scooting across the floor.

I enjoyed singing and reading with Ella, and listening to her stories. She has really developed quite an imagination, along with her usual sense of humor. When I came home, I immediately asked Ella how her day was:

Ella replied: "Good!"
Me: "What'd you do?"
Ella: "I played. Games. With my friends. And I took care of my baby."
Me: "Oh yeah? That sounds fun!"
Ella: "Yeah. His name is Easton!!"

It's too bad the real Easton couldn't join them at the sitters. :)