Saturday, April 30, 2011

I just love this picture of Abby because the girls did all the stamping on the picture and Abby wrote the girls' names on it.

Mckenzie woke me up around 6 this morning demanding chocolate milk, but I didn't hear from her again until around 9 when I opened her door! I can't believe she slept so late. Abby came to snuggle next to me around 7 and then laid in bed with me for awhile. I love laid back mornings like this! The girls went outside to blow bubbles this morning in their pjs. They didn't feel like getting dressed and I didn't feel like making them. They were happy and warm. That is all that matters. We skyped with Scott this afternoon and Abby had a really hard time with it. She was upset and cried for at least 20 minutes because she wanted her Daddy at home with her. I felt so bad for her, I didn't even know what to do. Nothing seemed to work until I asked her to help me with some chores. After that, she seemed to perk up a bit. And now I know that there is no reason I ever need to put away the girls' clothes as Abby is quite capable ;-) I had a fundraiser event for Abby's preschool tonight so the girls had a babysitter. It was a really nice evening out and I even managed to win a couple of door prizes!!!!!

Friday, April 29, 2011

Mckenzie had a tough time at drop off this morning. Guess I shouldn't have been so eager to brag up how well she was doing.  Abby got to finish showing off her poster as Star of the Week. The kids have been busy working on Mother's Day gifts at school this week. Abby let it slip that they made handprints and she was so upset. I told her I didn't hear what she said, so I hope she believed me! We went to Chick fil A for lunch with a friend and then the girls went over to another friend's house to play. The mom told me I could leave so I headed out to get my toes and nails done again. I am feeling very spoiled lately as I have had two afternoons in such a short time to do that. Abby was having a ball when I arrived and didn't want to leave. Mckenzie had fallen asleep on the couch so I was glad I came back when I did. She is giving me a little grief about going to sleep, but I am hoping she will nod off soon!



I had Mckenzie in for a haircut the other day, which she rocked. No crying. She just sat there patiently and watched Toy Story 3 while the gal cut her hair! I am so proud of her! She looks so much older now to me:(

Thursday, April 28, 2011

I think someone forgot to tell me that today was official "Crabby Pants Day"! Everyone around here, myself included, was in a grumpy mood. I hope tomorrow will be a happier day for all of us. We had gymnastics this afternoon. Mckenzie is now getting confident enough to walk on the balance beams (the lower ones) without holding my hand!!! And, I saw Abby trying to climb to the top of the rope again. She didn't make it all the way to the top, but she was working hard to make it there. I am so proud of both our girls! Mckenzie napped today so I am hoping she will stay in her room. It's been a few minutes since I put her up there, but sometimes she will stay quiet for 15 minutes before letting me know she has a knock knock joke to share!

April Contest

Courtney at Click It Up A Notch is hosting a contest for your favorite/best picture from the month of April.

This is my favorite. Mckenzie loves to play with the dandelions that grow in our yard. It doesn't matter if they are in bloom or dying, she loves to pick them. Her sister showed her how to blow the seeds and that is what she was trying to do in this picture. I just love how innocent she looks.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Abby is the STAR OF THE WEEK at her school. Every week a child is chosen to bring in a poster of things they like and of their family/friends. This is Abby's week and she has been so excited about it pretty much all year! When I woke her, she popped up and told me "I'm star of the week!!!" She was easy to get moving and dressed this morning. I like mornings like that! After we dropped Abby at school, Mckenzie and I headed to Target. Seems like I haven't been in forever and we were in need of a few things. I let Mckenzie nap today because I had a meeting tonight and I knew the girls were going to be up late. I thought I was going to have to take the girls to the meeting with me as my babysitter bailed at the last minute, but luckily things worked out and the girls went to a friend's place instead. The girls were hot and sweaty and laughing up a storm when I went to pick them up so I know they had a good time.




I just had to add this one. She looks so grown up :(

Tuesday. April 25, 2011

Back to school today, at least for Mckenzie. Spring break was nice, but I like our weekly routine. Mckenzie rocked going to school today. No hint of tears and a smile to boot when I left! I am so happy she has finally adjusted! Abby played at a friend's house this morning while Mckenzie was at school. We had friends over to our house this afternoon so the kids had lots of fun playing today. A quick bath and it was time to head to church for dinner and choir.

Monday, April 25, 2011

It is the last day of Spring Break! We went to a friend's house to play this morning. The kids played outside and it was so humid and warm! Glad to see that summer is on its way!!!! Although, I could do without having to apply sunscreen all the time. As soon as we got home Mckenzie was begging to ride her scooter but I made them stay inside for a little while since they were both so hot. They did play out back for a little bit, but it is a jungle out there and I made the kids stay on the patio. We got to skype with Scott and it was nice to see him. I gave the girls a second bath of the day (they had one in the morning, but I would have skipped it if I had known how sweaty and dirty they were going to get today!) and then we headed over to dinner at a new friend's house. Her husband and Scott know each other and his wife was kind enough to invite the girls and I over to eat. I was a bit nervous since I didn't know her and they don't have kids. I really didn't know how the girls were going to act at the end of a long day, but they did great!!! They played nicely and didn't argue too much. And, when we got home, the jungle in the back was gone! The lawn service came by while we were out to dinner. I am so happy that we can actually use our backyard again!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter! (And Happy Birthday to my oldest sis!) The Easter bunny was super generous this year and brought each girl a scooter! They have both been wanting one and I am so glad the Easter bunny heard! We went to church this morning and it was packed, which made the church hot, which made the girls cranky. Abby's choir sang and it was so fun to watch her up there. She didn't see where we were sitting, so I sent Mckenzie to the front of the church to get her. When she got up there, Mckenzie looked just as lost as her sister and the pastor made a comment about claiming lost children after the service.It was funny, although you probably had to be there to actually find it funny:) The girls got to ride their scooters after we got home from church. Abby was a little upset hers only had two wheels instead of three like Mckenzie's. But, she did enjoy riding it anyway. Mckenzie loved riding hers and didn't want to get off when it was time to go to our friend's house for dinner. All the kids had fun running around and playing and the meal was great! I tried a lot of new foods (asparagus for one! Honestly Scott, I did!!) I hadn't planned on making a big Easter meal so it was really great to have a dinner invitation. Even though dinner was around 3:30, I still had to make the girls some dinner when we got home because they were both sooooo hungry. But, after some chicken and rice, they were both so ready for bed and were asleep within minutes. That was nice because I needed to work on my CEU's. I don't know why I always leave my nursing education until the last minute, but I do. I managed to get about half of it done last night! Yay!

Patting her head and rubbing her belly!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

We got off to a slow start around here today. The girls were both in a grumpy mood and even talking to Scott on the phone didn't help much. But, we did manage to get out of the house and to the grocery store. I just went the other day, but we are out of milk. For some reason, Mckenzie has been on a milk kick this week instead of orange juice. We dyed Easter eggs this afternoon and the girls had a blast. Abby was very particular about what eggs went in what color dye. It was very methodical for her and she was worried about how nice they would turn out. Mckenzie on the other hand, just wanted to drop the eggs in the dye, let them sit for a few minutes and then drop the egg in another color. No rhyme or reason. She just was having fun. Both girls' eggs came out great! (I may be a little biased) My kitchen table didn't fare very well even though I covered it with papers :( I am hoping it will eventually come clean. At least the girls came clean after a nice long soak in the tub! The girls and I made rice krispie treats today in the shape of a bird's nest. (Thanks for the idea Laurie:) They turned out pretty cute. Mckenzie only ate the chocolate eggs and mini marshmallows that were supposed to be the bird eggs, leaving the entire rice krispie nest. I borrowed another idea to plant magic beans and see what grows. I put a couple of mini chocolate eggs in a bag and wrote Magic Eggs on the outside of the bag. Abby was super excited to plant her egg in a vase with fake grass. She keeps asking me if I see anything growing in there :) Then she told me she wanted to sleep in the kitchen so she could watch it grow. I had to make up a little story about how I tried that once as a child and the egg didn't grow and my sister's eggs didn't grow either and we were all sad. That changed her mind and she was happy to head to her bed! I love that both girls were excited to do it and that they actually believe that the egg will grow into something:)

Friday, April 22, 2011

I thought about trying for the zoo again today, but it was a little chilly out so we headed to the mall instead. The girls are in need of some summer clothes and a spring jacket. (They had played at a friend's house earlier in the week and came home without a coat. Hopefully I will get the hoodies back soon because they are great for the girls to play in.) I managed to find some great jean jackets for the girls. They are going to look so cute with the girls' Easter dresses on Sunday! Abby was excited to eat lunch in the mall. I guess Subway tastes better there for some reason. We sat next to the water fountain and it was so loud, I felt like we were shouting at each other our entire meal! But, it is where the girls wanted to sit and if they are happy, Momma's happy! We were going to visit the Easter bunny in the mall, but once we stood in line for about 5 minutes, Abby asked to leave. Mckenzie decided she didn't need to see the bunny either and that made me very happy. The line was at least 45 minutes long! I don't think I would have had the patience to wait! We skyped Scott again this afternoon. He turned in his thesis for his Master's program today! He is almost done. (He saved an easy class for his last one!) I am so proud of you babe and all the hard work you put into your paper! We love you so much!!!! Abby was playng with her Lite Brite this afternoon and asked me to join her. She told me "You can even put them wherever you want, just as long as they aren't next to each other" about the lights. She is so sweet! Mckenzie had a hard time falling asleep tonight as she took a nap while I chatted with Scott. She doesn't come out of her room as much anymore, but she will shout for me to come into her room. One time she called me in and when I asked what she needed, she asked me not to take her dinosaur away. (I take toys away as a way to keep her in her room and her dinosaur was the toy of choice tonight. Well, after the bee game. She had already lost that tonight.) I asked if that was all she needed, and she said no, let me tell you a knock knock joke. The girl loves her knock knock jokes!



Abby asked me to take a photo of a new pair of shoes she got today. I can't decide if I like it in black and white or in color better. (I like that you can see the rainbow nail polish in the color one but the black and white one is nice too.)

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Scott skyped us this morning and it totally took me off guard because we had planned on talking tomorrow. Poor guy is tired of being out there and I guess he just wanted to see his girls:) I can't blame him. He has been working everyday since the beginning of January and he doesn't even get to see his family at the end of the day. I wish I could make it easier for him or make the time pass by more quickly. We love ya babe :)

Well, we had plans to go to the zoo today, but we never actually made it there. We were almost to the zoo, when my friend's daughter got carsick. We were still going to try to go, but when she got sick a second time, we decided to head back home. I felt so bad for all the kids because we were in front of the zoo and we had to turn around :( They all took it pretty well. I thought about dropping our friends off and then heading back, but traffic was so terrible that we had been in the car for two hours already. Thank God for the DVD player! We did have some fun though as we stayed at their house and had lunch and played for awhile. When we got home, the girls and I made blueberry muffins for a snack. The rest of the night was pretty quiet. Mckenzie took a little nap (she really needed it!) so bedtime was not the easiest, but that's the way it goes.

28 Days!!!!!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

I took the girls to a local "farm" (I think once upon a time it was actually a rural farm, but now it is right in town) for a hayride and egg hunt. Very low key and noncompetitive. The girls had lots of fun. Abby was excited to see real hay, commenting that she had never, ever seen hay before in real life. Once we got to egg hunt area, the kids got to find five eggs each and then trade those in for a bag of goodies. If it wasn't for Mckenzie's laid back, slow moving egg hunting skills, Abby would have been done in 5 seconds flat. After the ride, we had lunch and then the girls played in the play area for awhile and we also checked out the farm animals. The girls really wanted to feed the goats, but they weren't interested in eating. We ended our visit with an ice cream cone and a few more minutes of playing. I was worried Mckenzie would fall asleep the second we left the parking lot, but she managed to stay awake :)

The girls were looking through an anatomy book I have and it was so fun to listen to Abby teach Mckenzie about the body. Abby- "Do you know what this is?" Mckenzie-"No". Abby- "It's your skull. You need it in case you fall down on the grass to make sure your brain doesn't fall out!" Gotta love the things kids say!

Listening to the farmer give the egg hunt directions.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The girls both slept in this morning which was nice, although I had to wake Mckenzie up since we had *company* this morning :) We met a friend for lunch today and let all the girls play together for a little while. We also got to skype with Scott :) Love talking to that boy! It was sprinkling off and on today so we stayed inside and played. By some miracle, Mckenzie stayed awake all day and went to bed like a champ. And, she didn't use her paci all day!!! She still asked for it, but didn't throw too big a fit when I told her no. The girls got another video of Scott reading to them and they just loved it! Mckenzie drew a picture for Scott while he was reading and tried to give it to him. Poor kid. She also thinks that people can see her when she talks to them on the phone. Abby went through that phase too, but she has outgrown that now. She is getting to be such a big girl! I didn't take any pictures today, but I did post the countdown pictures earlier so I guess that counts for today!

The countdown has begun!

So we have started our countdown. Scott says today is 29 days left. We don't have an exact return date yet, but he has a pretty good idea! Yay! I am so excited!

The girls and I took pictures for the last 31 days and made a photo book for Scott. I will be posting a picture for each day until he gets back to where he belongs. It seems so close, but yet so far away. The girls have been missing him so much lately. It seems like when Mckenzie has a fit, it always ends up in her crying about missing Daddy. She gets this sad look in her eyes and I wish I could take that away. Abby has trouble at night and I have started wrapping her blanket with pictures of Scott on it around her at night so it is like a big hug from Daddy all night long. Her using covers at night shows me how much this is affecting her because she is like a little heater (takes after her Daddy)and hardly uses covers even in the middle of the winter.



This is just a quick snapshot. It is on a pretty busy road and as you can see, the sign was very close to the street. So, even though Mckenzie wasn't looking at me, it was the best I was able to get!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Well our plans to go to the zoo got put on hold this morning. I woke up with pink eye in boths eyes! Yuck! Needless to say, this morning was filled with Chlorox wipes, hand sanitizer, and a trip to the doctor. I hope I can keep the girls from getting it too! Both girls were great about our zoo trip being postponed and about having to hang out at the house all day. We played outside even though the yard is still pretty wet from all the rain we have been having. The kids are tired of spending so much time inside and it's only mud right? That's easy to clean. We also did some craft projects that I had seen on a blog of a really creative mom. I wish I was creative, but since I'm not, I am happy to use ideas from other moms. My kids will never know they aren't my great ideas :)

Sunday, April 17, 2011

We had church this morning and the girls thought it was cool to get leaves for Palm Sunday. The girls went to a friend's house to play this afternoon giving me a little alone time. So, I used my time to get a mani and a pedi and have lunch at Chipotle (the girls don't like eating there so we don't go very often). It was a nice afternoon by myself. The girls had a nice time with their friends and came home with some Easter candy. Just what they needed! We played outside for a little bit and then we took the car to get it washed. It really needed a cleaning to get rid of all the salt from the winter. Mckenzie fell asleep on the way to get the car washed. She didn't wake up when I took her out of the car at the carwash nor did she wake up when we got home. I let her take a little nap on the couch while Abby and I played soccer outside. We had a little movie night and watched Cat in the Hat.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Today was cold and it rained off and on all day. Mckenzie wanted to play outside and she didn't understand why she couldn't go outside because she had a raincoat, boots and an umbrella. We talked to Scott and he finally got our countdown photo book that we sent him! I am so glad that he got it and I can start posting a few pics from it. We needed to pick up some groceries so I bribed the girls with Chick fil A for good behavior at the store. It gave them a chance to run around since we had been inside all day, although they didn't play for very long. There were a few very loud children in there and Abby wasn't liking it at all. She came out of the play area several times to tell me it was too loud and finally asked to leave.

Who needs clothes when you can keep warm in front of the heating vent?!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Both girls had Spring parties at school today and had lots of fun. The girls got to have an egg hunt, dye eggs, and eat a great feast! It was kind of sad for me because it is Abby's last pre-K Easter, sorry- Spring- party and Mckenzie's first. They are both getting so big so quickly. I really don't know where the time has gone. For the egg hunt, each child was to find 5 eggs. Mckenzie found 4 and lost interest when the swing caught her eye. She could have care less about finding her last egg. One sweet little boy in her class found an extra one and brought it over to Mckenzie. They were too cute together. They were playing catch with a football and chasing after each other. Very sweet. Abby was an old pro at finding eggs and she was done in no time. She didn't realize I was watching her do the egg hunt and when she finally saw me, she got the biggest smile on her face.

We went to a friend's house to play for a bit after school, but we didn't stay long. They still had things to do before going on a trip and Mckenzie was getting tired and cranky. So, we came home for lunch and played inside awhile before heading outside. The wind was so chilly today I didn't really want to go out, but the girls love playing out there. So, we headed to the backyard so I could plant some flowers and tackle the mess out there. It is now a poop-free zone (for a little while anyway until I let Dakota back out there) and the patio has been organized for the summer and the flowers have been planted. I need to get a little more mulch and trim some bushes and there is a little area that used to be a garden that needs some major work. But, I am making progress. Hopefully by fall it will look better!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

The girls were playing so nicely together this morning, I was able to get some laundry started and the house picked up. I love listening to them play together and laugh together. Abby went to a friend's house to play this afternoon and Mckenzie and I ran errands. I needed to pick up some more mulch since I didn't buy enough last time I went. The lawn company came today to do a little spring clean up for us. The yard looks so nice now that the bushes in the front aren't such a mess! They didn't get to the backyard, so I guess the girls and I will have to tackle that. I'm betting it won't look half as nice as the front! We had gymnastics tonight and I didn't get yelled at for a change! The girls had fun and enjoyed getting stamps at the end like always. Mckenzie went right to bed tonight, but Abby is giving me a little guff. She just came out to tell me I forgot to remove all the stuffed animals from her bed and I needed to come and do that! Apparently they are too heavy for her to move! I am boiling eggs for school tomorrow. The girls' spring parties are tomorrow and that it what I have to bring. Let's hope they turn out! I plan on making way more than I need because I always seem to crack a lot of them!


She was throwing a small tantrum and didn't want me to take her photo! I love the way her little lips pout when she gets mad!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Mckenzie and I headed to Target after dropping Abby off at school. We met a friend at the Starbucks for coffee before doing a little shopping. I needed to get a few things for the girl's Easter baskets and today is the last day I can do that without Abby as next week is Spring Break. Abby had fun in school and was so excited they got to eat hard boiled eggs in her chef class today. They are her favorite kind of eggs. She got to dye eggs too and she brought those home to share with us. Both girls went to bed without any trouble. I was a little worried Mckenzie might have difficulty because she took a 20 minute nap, but she was really good.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Rainy and cold today. I guess that is the price we have to pay for the beautiful weather we had yesterday. It was nice enough out a bit this morning that the kids were able to ride in a St. Jude's Trike-a-Thon the preschool held today. Abby had a great time riding with her friends (you could just see the joy in her face as she was riding and racing with her friends) and loved seeing her teacher outside of the classroom. We are so lucky that Abby's teacher is so sweet and caring. You can tell she loves what she does and she honestly cares about the children. Abby was upset when it was time to go. She had just had a little fender bender with one of her classmates ( & even though her bike fell on top of her, she got right back on her bike and started to ride again! Way to go Abby!) and then it started raining, ending the event. Abby was still crying because she didn't want to go and her teacher ran along side her all the way to the car to make it easier on Abby. Not all teachers would do that! Mckenzie had a blast. Boy can that girl ride a trike! I have never seen her ride so well! Yay Mckenzie! She just took off and was able to keep up with the older kids for the most part. She did have a tendency to stop often resulting in traffic jams with the other kids so I tried to keep her in the area they had set aside for the younger ones. She is a tough little girl too. She hasn't exactly mastered cornering on her trike and so three times she tipped over and her bike landed on her! No tears though and she got right back on each time. I wish I had been smarter and drove Scott's truck to the event because I had to put two wet and muddy bikes into the back of mine. I'm going to have to get the thing detailed one of these days soon! We invited one of Abby's friends over since the event ended early and I knew Abby was still upset about leaving. After they left, Mckenzie was so tired and I could tell her allergies were acting up something fierce, so I let her take a nap. Abby and I read books and pretty soon, both of us were sleeping. I was surprised Abby fell asleep, but her allergies were bugging her today too. Both my girls are walking around with purple circles under their eyes! We had dinner at church and Abby had choir practice.  I really don't know why we eat at the church because every week the girls are hungry when we get home and this week was no exception. So after a bath and a peanut butter sandwich and yogurt, the girls are in bed. It got to be a late night for them, but I think they will be OK considering they both napped today.