I actually had to wake both girls up this morning so we could meet my friend and her son at this cute little corner bistro for breakfast. Good food, OK service, and a wonderful visit. Then the girls and I headed to the Philadelphia Zoo. I think we picked the wrong day to go because there were a million and one school kids there. It was hard to keep an eye on both girls with so many kids around. Both girls enjoyed watching the giraffes drink water and squealed when the giraffes came closer. They also had a fascination with the snakes and frogs. I think they both would have watched them for hours if I would have let them. Another favorite was the lions and tigers. We had lunch at the zoo and then the girls got to ride the carousel. Abby chose to ride on a frog and Mckenzie got on a tropical bird. It was Mckenzie's first carousel ride and she loved it. She started crying when it was over. The girls also rode in this little train. Well, they call it a train, but it didn't run on tracks; It was a car that drove in circles in a parking lot. Whatever. The kids had a blast. Mckenzie is so short I could only see the top of her head as they drove around and Abby had a smile on her face the whole time. We were getting ready to leave and Abby saw the face painting station. She had wanted to do it earlier in the day but I told her no because the line was too long. Well, when we walked past it again, she said to me "Momma, the line is gone! Can we get our faces painted? I want to be a tiger!" So, needless to say, I drove home with a tiger and a butterfly in the backseat. Mckenzie didn't really like getting her face painted and she cried during most of it. But, she did like to look at herself in the mirror once it was all over! Abby kept growling and pretending she was really a tiger. She even starting crawling on the ground.  She kept saying "Where's Abby. I don't know. She's a tiger now" and "When I take a bath tonight Momma, the tiger is going to be gone and you are going to ask where the tiger went!" As we were leaving the zoo, Abby told me she had a great day with me today. That made our trip even better! Both girls passed out in the car, Mckenzie was literally sleeping before I put the car in reverse to leave the parking lot. It was two hours past her nap time and she was tired! We all just hung out when we got home, doing a little coloring and a little Wii. We talked to Scott a couple of times today which was really nice. At bath time, we tried to wash away the face paint, but Mckenzie still looks a little blue. Maybe it will all rub off over night so she looks normal tomorrow! She didn't want to go to bed tonight. She was shouting my name and when I checked on her, she had thrown both her pacifier and her bear out of the crib. When I gave them back to her, she pushed up on her tip toes thinking I was going to pick her up. No such luck. She is quiet now so hopefully she is down for the night.

Abby showing Mckenzie a frog

Abby asked to have a picture of her and Mckenzie by these flowers.

Today was one of those days. The girls were whiny, I was cranky, and things just didn't seem to go the way I wanted. One good thing, both girls slept in their own beds all night long! We hung out in out pj's this morning after making french toast again. Abby had a great time helping. Mckenzie on the other hand, was mad she couldn't and kept screaming at me. Lunch time came and Mckenzie was super cranky. In her defense, I did try to feed her 30 minutes later than normal, but she didn't eat a thing. I felt bad putting her down to nap without lunch, but she grabbed her bear and pacifier and snuggled into me. I guess she was more tired than hungry. Abby didn't eat either. I guess I could have skipped the whole lunch thing today, but then what would Dakota have eaten? Abby was excited to watch Princess and the Frog during her quiet time today. She sat on the couch in a trance except when the music was on and then she tried to sing along with it. She doesn't know the words, but she sings anyway, usually getting a word or two right along the way. It's cute to listen too. She does the same thing when we listen to the radio. I called to confirm Mckenzie's doctor appt on Monday with the ENT and when I called, they told me we didn't have an appt. I don't even know what to say about it. Mckenzie has been waiting since January to be seen by the ENT for a lump (most likely a cyst) between her eye and nose. The doctor's office told me that there must be some sort of misunderstanding (on my part) because with my insurance, all appts must be made by the insurance company itself. Didn't sound right to me since I had gotten the referral information in the mail and it said to call for an appt. and if I was unable to get an appt within 28 days, I could get another referral to another physician. But, I couldn't argue with the lady at the doctor's office since I lost my referral paperwork and I couldn't possibly remember what the letter said word for word. Anyway, called the insurance company and they said "no, we don't make your appt. you do that." Blah, blah, blah. So they are sending me the paperwork again, but she said I don't really need it since the doctor's office should already have a copy. I tried to call the doctor's office back, but they were closed for the day. So now I sit and wait until tomorrow to try to fix this little mess. I know it isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of life, but I just want to get this appt over with so I can know for sure what this lump is. I took Dakota to the veterinarian today so I could get her started back on her heart worm prevention. What a chore with that dog and two energetic little ones. They were all running circles in a tiny room while they were trying to teach me to brush Dakota's teeth. I should have lied and said I was already brushing her teeth. Lesson for next time. I cracked open the sliding glass door tonight when I was cooking dinner (it was getting a little smoky in here) and when I called the girls to come eat, they weren't in the living room any more. They had slipped out to the backyard and were happily playing. When Mckenzie saw me, she giggled and started to run away from me. So, we had a picnic outside which made the girls really happy for the first time all day. Mckenzie even ate hamburger, which she never touches. Usually, we sneak it in with some other food and seconds later, she is spitting it out. I was very glad for bedtime tonight and I pray that we are all in better moods tomorrow. I might be crazy, but I am planning to take them to the zoo by myself.

Doing a little Michael Jackson one glove move today!

Running away from me!

Not sure she should be outside without shoes on!

Eating their dinner!

Why is Mckenzie waking up so early and Abby waking up in the middle of the night? Ugh! Luckily, Abby went back to sleep pretty quickly and Mckenzie is always so happy in the mornings. Guess she is just a morning person! Abby wanted to make french toast for breakfast so we gave it a try. I let Abby crack the eggs and she got so excited because the first one she cracked broke nicely and didn't leave any shells in the egg. Can't say the same for the other one ;) They turned out pretty tasty if I do say so myself! Mckenzie didn't want anything to do with the french toast other than to feed the dog. I really should start strapping the dog in the high chair and save myself the hassle of cleaning the floor! At least Mckenzie left the dog dishes alone today. I don't know how many times I had to change the water out yesterday because someone kept putting dog food in it! We went to a different park this morning for a play date/Mom's club meeting. Abby's friend Ally from school was there and they girls had so much fun playing together. Mckenzie was a little bashful with all the kids around and stuck to the swing. She did go down the slide a couple of times, but she loves swinging. I turned away from Mckenzie for a few seconds to see where Abby was and Mckenzie fell flat on her face on the steps to the slide. I felt so bad. She only got a little scratch, but between that and the heat, she was done for the day. Abby loves the warm weather and I think she would have stayed out all day if I would have let her! She did great when I told her it was time to go. Some days we have problems with that, but fortunately not today. When we we got in the car, Mckenzie was begging me to pull off her shoes. I am glad I did, because they were just a little too small. They are these adorable Mickey Mouse crocs I bought for Abby when she was little and I just found them in the closet today. I was so excited for Mckenzie to wear them, but since her feet are so chubby, today will be the first and last time she gets to wear them. When I put them on Mckenzie this morning, Abby got excited and told me she had a picture of her in those shoes when she was little. Sure enough, Abby ran to get the picture and lo and behold, there was Abby in those shoes. It was not a good day for feet at our house. Abby got blisters from her boots that she was wearing. Yes, it was like 85/90 degrees here today and Abby wanted to wear her boots. Couldn't hardly get her to wear them in the winter as she always wanted to wear her pretty shoes then. Whatever. After nap time, we headed out to Target to get some more sunscreen. I don't know if Mckenzie is allergic to the sunscreen we are using now, but she tends to get a runny nose and red, watery eyes when I use it. So, I will try something else and see if that helps. It could just be seasonal allergies, I don't really know. I didn't feel like cooking and decided to be brave and take the girls out to a sit down restaurant by myself. There was a guy making balloon animals in the restaurant and Abby was so excited to get one. I told her she had to wait her turn and she sat there patiently waiting. Well, the guy finished a few tables in our area and then he walked away. Poor Abby's head dropped and her eyes got all teary. It was heartbreaking! Luckily, he came back a short while later and made both girls animals. Abby wanted an Elmo and Mckenzie got a little bear. They played with them for like 5 seconds and then Abby was wondering where dinner was! We came home and in about 5 minutes, both balloons were destroyed because the girls were batting them around. I took the girls and the dog for a walk tonight and what a challenge it was! That dog of ours was so naughty tonight I was ready to let her go. Every bird, bunny, dog, person, you name it, she was going after it! Three times, she almost made me tip the stroller over. Seriously, the stroller was up on two wheels. Once she was pulling so hard on her leash trying to sniff another dog her collar slipped off. Lucky for me, a nice couple was near us and the guy held onto Dakota while I got her collar and leash back on. I am so tempted to leave her at home, but I know she needs to walk. Poor thing has so much energy, maybe she needs another dog to play with? The girls are down for the night and I managed to get a workout in. Hopefully we will all sleep better tonight.

A few minutes away from the swing!

The boots!

Abby and her friend, Ally

The balloons before they met their demise...

Abby came to sleep in my room again last night and if you remember from yesterday's blog, she went to sleep with her jelly shoes on. Gotta love getting kicked all night long with those shoes! Mckenzie woke up at 6 am shouting for "momma". I don't know how she can be so happy to wake up. I never am. It takes me forever to get motivated in the mornings. I don't know where she gets it from. We headed out to the grocery store this morning. The kids did pretty good (it really helps when you get the cart that looks like a car!). They don't steer worth anything, but it makes for a fun ride for the kid. I nearly took an old lady out with the dang thing today. I was headed to the checkout line and this old lady backed herself out of the line right into my cart. She didn't even look back as she was switching lanes! I tried moving, but I couldn't maneuver out of the way. Abby asked to go out to lunch, but I told her since it was only 10:30 am nothing was open. She seemed to believe me. Mckenzie took her nap this afternoon and Abby was busy playing with her My Little Ponies. She played with them for over 2 hours by herself! After nap, we headed out for our daily walk to the park, except today we took Dakota with us. I generally try not to take her because she is so hard to handle, especially when I push the double stroller. She wasn't so difficult today because I wrapped the leash around the stroller so when she pulled, the pressure was on the stroller and not my hand. The playground we go to is fenced in and there were no other kids there at first so I just let Dakota run around while the girls played. Abby was more concerned with "walking" Dakota though. She kept grabbing the dog's leash and running around with her. We came home and made had some dinner. The girls were playing so nice together so I managed to get the whole house cleaned before bedtime. Well, the girls got to bed a little late but that's OK. Maybe they will sleep in tomorrow! Ha! Abby didn't want to go to bed at all tonight. First she wanted to watch Backyardigans, then she wasn't tired, then she was hungry, then she missed Daddy... The excuses were a mile long. But I gave her Scott's pillow to sleep with and I haven't heard a peep from her again. I hope things get easier for her as we transition to the travelling. Sorry for the quality of the pictures today. I only had my phone with when we went to the park :(

Mckenzie had a rough night last night. I tried sleeping with her in my bed, but that didn't work. I finally ended up sleeping on the floor next to her crib with my hand holding hers. When I got back to my bed, Abby woke up and she ended up sleeping in my room.  We had errands to run this morning. I had to go to Best Buy to return a phone charger that came with the loaner phone they gave me and then I needed to get some summer clothes for the girls. When we were in Carter's the girls were helping me shop. They both kept pulling clothes off the rack and bringing them to me. Abby picked out a swim suit for herself and then found one for Mckenzie. Mckenzie just kept pulling random stuff off the racks. I should have brought the stroller in; it would have made things much easier. We also checked out the mall. It was OK, but there weren't a lot of stores. We ate some Chinese food at the mall, or I should say tried to eat. It was the worst mall food ever. Mckenzie kept spitting it out and Abby was taking the smallest bites ever and after only a few bites, told me she was soooo full. Needless to say, I stopped on the way home to get the girls something else to eat. Worked out for the better as it kept Mckenzie awake on the ride home. After nap time, we went for a walk to the park. Dinner was quite the smorgasbord. The girls ended up eating rice, corn, pizza, and popsicles. Abby had to wear her "jelly beans" to bed. I bought the girls each a pair of Jelly shoes at the Gap and Abby calls them "jelly beans".

Dinosaur faces!

Mckenzie learned she can roll her tongue!

Silly face!

Happy Easter! We had a pretty quiet day compared to yesterday. We hung out in our pajamas until after Mckenzie's nap. It was so great! Abby wanted to watch a movie, so we all (dog included) climbed on the couch to watch Cars. Both girls love that movie. Mckenzie snuggled into Dakota and Abby snuggled with me. It was a great morning. Both girls took a nap today. I thought Abby was playing in her room, but it turns out, she fell asleep on the living room couch. Abby was a great helper today by picking out Mckenzie's clothes for me when it came time to dress Mckenzie. Had to veto a couple of outfits as she wanted Mckenzie to wear a tank top and shorts, but overall, she did a good job. We headed out for a walk this afternoon and then to the park. It was so quiet at the park today and it was kind of nice to have the place almost all to ourselves. Mckenzie had to have her bear on the swing with her today. She put it behind her head and leaned back. At one point, I think she was almost asleep in the swing!

                             

What a busy day for us today! We decided to do Easter today since Scott is not going to be here tomorrow. The Easter bunny left baskets for the girls and they had a blast going through them. Abby just loved her purple duck and Mckenzie loved her chocolate bunny. I guess chocolate makes for a good breakfast! The Easter bunny left silly putty for the girls which turned out to be a big mistake. The dog found it and chewed it all up. We made the girls a real breakfast and then I needed to run to Target. I forgot to buy vinegar when I bought the dye for the Easter eggs. So, when I got back, we dyed Easter eggs. Abby loved just dropping them in and splashing the dye everywhere. Mckenzie wanted to put her fingers in the dye and move her eggs around. She ended up liking pink the best and had three eggs in the bowl at once. After lunch, we dressed the girls in their Easter dresses and had an Easter egg hunt in the backyard. Abby took off running when she saw the eggs on the yard. Mckenzie wasn't quite so sure what to do and she was a little reserved at first, but she did end up getting her fair share of eggs. The girls munched on their finds and played out in the yard awhile. It was another gorgeous day. I am loving this weather! Scott had to leave and Abby had a really hard time with it. She was crying on the ground outside and it didn't matter what I said or did, she only wanted Daddy. So, I took the girls on a walk and to the playground. During our walk, Abby told me she wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight because she wanted to see Daddy. That broke my heart. I hope it isn't like this all the time :( and I hope she sleeps tonight. By the time we got to the park, Abby was in a better mood and Mckenzie was cranky because she wanted out of the stroller. One of Abby's preschool friends was at the park so that was fun for her. We did dinner and played some Wii and it was bedtime. Both girls went down without a fuss so let's hope that means it will be a good night for all!

Lovin' her new purple duck!

Givin' her ducky a little lovin'

Breakfast of champions!

Finished eggs!

Mckenzie's first eggs!

On the hunt for some goodies!

Scott can always make Abby smile!

Not so good, but it is hard to keep the girls smiling by the time the self-timer goes off!

The girl loves some bubbles!

Scott had the day off so we all got to hang out together. We ran some errands this morning and then headed to Chick-fil-A for lunch. Scott's idea~ he normally doesn't care for it, but I think he wanted to do something special with the girls since he is leaving on a trip. We came home and put Mckenzie down for a nap. Scott and Abby took my car for an oil change and when they got home, Abby went straight upstairs to take a nap. She must have been very tired to want to nap. We took the girls to the park when they both woke up. Scott put both girls on the merry-go-round and Mckenzie had a blast. Abby didn't enjoy going slow, so when Mckenzie was done, Scott spun her fast and she giggled and smiled like crazy. When we were walking away, she was telling us about how dizzy she was. Scott was in the mood for Texas Roadhouse so we decided to go there for dinner. It should only have been 30 minutes, but we hit some traffic and ended up taking an hour to get there. Abby kept asking how much longer because she was sooooo hungry and Mckenzie was just plain cranky. If only the food had been great it would have been worth it, but it wasn't very good. The car ride home was fun though. The girls were talking back and forth to one another and entertaining each other so well. Abby kept trying to get Mckenzie to say words and when Mckenzie would say it clearly, Abby got so excited for her. She would say "Did you hear that? She said truck!" Then Abby started making noises with her tongue and Mckenzie would shout "No No No!" and then they would both giggle! Now they are in their beds and I am looking forward to a nice quiet evening.

So proud of going down the stairs by herself!

Abby woke me up at 8 this morning to let me know Dakota just woke up Mckenzie. I am not sure the dog can open doors, but I can't complain since we all slept in. We ran to Target today and the girls were really good. Some days they have major meltdowns when we are out shopping, but today, the only thing Mckenzie complained about was her pacifier. I am trying to take it away, giving it to her only at nap time and night time. Overall, we did OK with that today. Abby was playing with Playdoh during Mckenzie's nap and suddenly decided we needed to make cookies. So we made some peanut butter cookies with Reese's peanut butter cups in them. Pretty tasty if I may say so :) Mckenzie woke up and we went for a walk and to the park. Abby asked a million questions along the way and Mckenzie just chilled in the front seat of the stroller. It was so nice out today; we didn't even need coats! Scott came home and we went out for dinner. I always thought having kids would force me to start cooking a little more, but it hasn't yet. Maybe someday...

She dressed herself today if you couldn't figure that out just by looking at her!

Mckenzie had to bring her milk with her on the swing

My girls in front of this beautiful tree blooming in out yard!