What a great day! Not that we did anything so special, it is just nice to have Scott back home. The girls watched a movie this morning. Abby asked to watch Tinkerbell, so we put that in. Well, that didn't suit Mckenzie and she insisted on watching Cars. So we had one at the TV and one at the computer. Abby decided to join Mckenzie at the computer to watch Cars and snuggled in next to her on the chair. They looked adorable sitting there together, munching away on a snack (and yes, they are eating Cheetos, but before that they had fruit and veges for a snack. Abby three servings and Mckenzie too. I figured a few Cheetos would be okay :). We went to the park after nap time and the girls brought a frisbee and a football with. Abby had a great time playing both with Scott and Mckenzie spent her time in the swing. I actually got her to go down the slide a couple of times. We didn't stay out too long since it was cool out today. Couldn't tell that by looking at Abby though. She was dressed in a little tank top dress again today (yes, she did wear a coat and jeans under her dress when we went out, although that was quite the battle. She insisted she was going to be too warm.) We went to Chipotle for dinner, bringing pasta along for the girls since everything there is too spicy for them. It was delicious as ever. When we got home, I built a fort for  the girls. It was cute to listen to Abby talk to Mckenzie while she was in there. She said things like "This is so BEAUTIFUL" and "Ooohh that's dangerous." Not to sure what exactly they were doing, but they were happy. It was so comforting to hang out together as a family and do nothing but play.

Watching Cars

Welcome home Daddy!!!!

I made the girls cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Abby kept asking "Is this dessert?" She thought it was pretty cool to have such a treat for breakfast! We headed to Target to pick up a couple of more pacifiers for Mckenzie. I am thinking about taking the pacifier away, but haven't fully committed to the idea yet so I bought some more since she loses them so fast. We had to run to the grocery store as well and while we were there, Scott called. It was way to chaotic to talk to him and so I called him back when we got to the car. He said he was in South Carolina and I asked him when he thought he would be home. He said he didn't know for sure since the other pilot was handling all that. We headed home and when we came around the corner in the neighborhood, there he was sitting outside waiting for us to get home. It was great to see him and the girls went crazy. Abby couldn't stop telling her Dad how much she missed him and how much she loved him. She says "I love you so much Daddy!" Mckenzie had the biggest smile on her face and she kept giving Scott hugs. Scott brought the girls snow globes from Spain. They apparently had to go through there since the airspace over Europe was closed due to the volcano in Iceland. It was a quiet afternoon. Scott and Abby played Go Fish while Mckenzie napped and then we all a nap. It was great. We had dinner and then ate some chocolate chip cookie cake that we bought to welcome Daddy home.  The girls couldn't get enough of Scott and it was great to see them together.

After what seems like a million phone calls, I finally got everything I needed to get the CT scan done for Mckenzie. Now I just have to wait for the insurance company to send me the authorization number and we can set up an appointment. When I was talking to a nurse at the ENT's office, she commented on how noisy it was at my place. I looked around to see what was so loud and it turns out the dog was drinking from Abby's milk glass and her collar was banging against the coffee table. I guess she needed some milk to wash down the waffles she stole from the kids' plates earlier in the day. Abby played outside for a little bit while Mckenzie was napping. I made her come in a little early so I could get a shower in. When I told her why she argued with me about staying out saying "But Momma, I get to play outside when you watch tv!" I told her yes that was true, but the patio door is always open and I check on her every couple of minutes. She didn't seem to get why I couldn't do that from the shower! We got to talk to Scott today and it sounds like everything is going well for him. He should be home as scheduled and we can't wait to see him! I took the girls to Chick-fil-A for dinner. I didn't feel like cooking and I surely didn't want noodles again. As we were getting ready to leave, Mckenzie was asking for her pacifier and I couldn't find one anywhere. We had three earlier today and fortunately Abby found one hiding in the bathroom. I wish I knew where that little girl puts them because we can't keep track of them. I have the clips to attach to her clothes, but Mckenzie doesn't like those and knows how to separate the pacifier and clip. We had a nice dinner (as nice as any fast food place can be) and the girls played for quite a while. There were some really pushy kids in the play area today and I had to tell a couple of the kids to keep their hands off the girls. One little girl kept following Mckenzie around and trying to tickle her feet and had her hands all over her. The little girl wasn't hurting Mckenzie but poor Mckenzie kept running over to me with this sad look on her face. I don't understand why so many parents don't bother to monitor their kids' behavior. Now I need to clean up the tornado that ran threw the house today!

Mckenzie was scheduled for her CT scan today and what a mess the whole thing was. I can never seem to get out of the house on time so of course we were rushing around to leave on time. Didn't happen. Then I checked my purse to make sure the doctor's note was in there, but it wasn't. So, I went back home to get it and I couldn't find it for the life of me. It was with the map quest directions right before I left the house and I had the directions so I have no idea where it went. I headed to the imaging center anyway and it wasn't a big deal at all. All I had to do was get the doctor's office to fax it over and we were all set to get her CT done. Well, Mckenzie had other plans. She didn't want to lay down and she sure as heck didn't want to be restrained. It was horrible to watch her lie there and scream her head off, looking at me to make it stop. I tried everything under the sun to get her to settle down, but nothing worked. My poor baby was shaking so hard and it took a long time for her to settle down. They offered to let me come back later in the day if I thought I could make it work. So, I drove around town until Mckenzie fell asleep and the imaging center was able to get us in right away. Got Mckenzie out of the car, walked across the parking in the bright sun, through the crowded waiting room and she was still asleep. Laid her down on the table, her eyes opened, she looked around and realized where she was and the crying started all over again. So, we didn't get the scan done today. I called the doctor's office and they reordered the scan with sedation, but unfortunately the imaging center I went to today doesn't do sedation. The nurse told me a couple of places that do sedation, now I just need to find out if my insurance will cover it. I have placed a few calls about that, but no answers yet. When we got home Abby asked if she could play outside with Dakota while Mckenzie napped. I said sure and it was so fun to watch the two of them play out there. Mckenzie didn't nap since she had her 20 minute cat nap and we all ended up outside playing for the better part of the afternoon. Abby brought out her little pull behind puppy and was taking it all over the yard. She left it in the garden area because it had to go to school and she loves to tie the dog to anything so it doesn't get away. What an imagination. Mckenzie was busy blowing bubbles and trying to pop them. It amazes me that something so simple can be so entertaining for little ones. I was going to take the girls for a walk, but Abby didn't want to. She said she would rather play in the backyard today. We ate dinner outside again and Abby squealed with delight when I brought out the plates! It was so hard to get them to eat dinner though. Abby was chattering about this and that and Mckenzie just wanted to play in her car. We did bath time and I sent them to bed! I am looking forward to some down time. I guess I did have a few minutes this morning when I lied to the girls and told them I had to go to the bathroom. I really just wanted to paint my toenails without having to paint theirs as well. Abby noticed my toes after they were painted, but luckily, she didn't ask to have hers done too.

Today was pajama day at school for Abby and I got to be the parent helper in the morning classroom. I am not sure which Abby was more excited for! Last night all she could talk about was how I was going to school with her and she gets to be the leader of the class (apparently the child who's parent is in the classroom gets to do the weather and stand in front of the line. very exciting stuff for a four year old!). It was a little weird leaving the house in my pajamas. I really enjoyed seeing Abby interact with the other kids in the classroom and spending the time with her this morning. I was a little worried about Mckenzie. She hasn't been away from me since September and she clings to me whenever we are somewhere unfamiliar. But, she did great in the nursery and only cried a little bit. When I picked her up, she shouted "Yeah!" and squeezed my legs. We walked to the park this afternoon and Abby was so interested in the trees along the way. She wanted to know if they were healthy or not. I think it stems from one tree having a few limbs lying on the ground next to it. Abby always wants to know why it is laying there and Mckenzie always says "ohhhh". EVERY time we walk past, I get to answer the SAME question. So we stopped to look at the other trees today to see if they had buds on them and talked about how trees grow. Like always, the girls had fun swinging at the playground. Abby wanted me to push her on the swing and when I did, she giggled and screamed "You tickled my belly Momma!" and asked to go higher. It scares me how high she can go on those swings. She told me she fell off a swing at school today after I left. Nobody at school said anything, but she does have some scratches on her back. I ordered raincoats for the girls from Gymboree and they came today! Mckenzie was excited to wear hers around the house. She looked a little silly running around in a diaper and a raincoat! She didn't want to put her jeans back on after I had changed her. I don't blame her. She always struggles to lift her legs very high when she wears jeans and can do so much more climbing without any pants on at all. After dinner the girls played outside a little more and then it was time to clean up. It is so hard to clean up while Mckenzie is still awake. Seriously, I put something away and she heads straight to it to play with it. Abby is a great helper, although she got side tracked and decided to work on puzzles. It's a good thing we picked up too because I ended up calling the gas company to come out to the house. We have a carbon monoxide/gas detector and it went indicated high gas levels four different times this afternoon. I didn't smell anything, but just to be sure, I wanted someone else to check it out. The guy came out and said there was no leak and told me to buy a different detector for the house. I put Mckenzie to bed and Abby stayed up with me to watch a movie. I had promised her if she was good at the doctor's office on Monday that on Wednesday night her and I would watch a movie and eat some popcorn after Mckenzie went to bed. It was so fun to have a little one on one time. She saw me give Dakota popcorn and just giggled like crazy. Then she looked at me to see if it was okay for her to feed her as well. Each time she threw a piece to the dog, she would giggle. She sure makes me smile. When the movie was over, she went straight to bed without a single argument. She didn't even ask if she could play for a little bit!

Perfect outfit for outdoor play!

Ok, if any one cares, I just put on my big girl panties and pulled that nasty, juicy tick off of Dakota. It was disgusting and I pray I never have to do it again. Of course now I feel like there are things crawling all over me...

Abby came into my room sometime last night. I was too tired to get up so I offered to let her sleep in my bed. The dog opened Mckenzie's door up this morning and ended up waking my sleeping beauty. So, we started off bright and early today! It was cold and rainy for most of the day so that took the park off our to do list. I was actually looking forward to going since it has been quite a few days since we have been and I can tell the kids really need to burn some energy. My few minutes of me time in the shower came to a quick end when Mckenzie came in carrying Abby's piggy bank. Before I could get to Mckenzie, she dropped the bank, shattering it all over the floor. Of course she wasn't wearing shoes, but thankfully, she didn't get cut. So, we all got dressed and headed to Target. Like I need an excuse to go to Target, but buying a piggy bank worked for me! That being said, after we paid for our stuff and started for home, Abby said "Momma, we didn't get my piggy pank (she says pank, not bank)". So, we turned around and went back to Target to give them some more money! It was still raining after nap time so I set up a pretend park in the living room. They loved the change of scenery from playing in the family room. I wish we had a playroom because now both rooms look like a tornado has traveled through. We picked up once, but someone is always pulling something else out. I guess I will deal with it tomorrow. I don't feel like cleaning now that the girls are in bed. We had to rush our bedtime routine because I ordered in some food and when I called, they said 35 minutes. Perfect. We could have eaten at 6:15. But, the food didn't show up until after 7 pm. The girls were starving and they get a little cranky when they are hungry and they were tired too. Good times! I think Dakota has a large tick on her belly. I have never seen one with so much fluid before, so I think I will try to get her an appt at the vet tomorrow to have it removed. Just looking at the thing, I am pretty sure I would gag if I tried to remove it. It is so nasty looking. I am kicking myself for not getting her started back on her flea/tick prevention sooner!

Abby likes when Mckenzie pushes her around on this toy. Mckenzie can hardly do it, but she tries and she grunts as she does it. It is too cute to watch!

Mckenzie had her doctor's appointment today so Abby had to miss class. Last week she was on spring break and she kept asking when she gets to go to school. I felt bad making her miss another day, but there was just no way I would have been able to pick her up from school on time. The doctor confirmed the lump is a dermoid cyst and wants to get a CT scan done. After that, it sounds like we are going to have it removed since it is so close to her eye. The doctor said he could do it, but offered me the name/referral to another doctor who specializes in this kind of procedure. So, I just have to figure out how to get the CT scan done. The doctor's office didn't give me a specific place to go and I have no idea how it works with our insurance. Makes me wish we were back in Florida where I knew where to go to get things done. So I guess tomorrow I will call the insurance company and see what kind of information I can get from them. We stopped at a mall in Princeton to get the kids some lunch. I had promised them Chick-fil-A if they were good at the doctor's office and they both behaved! Abby didn't even interrupt me when the doctor was talking, which is a first for that kid. She always has something to say. I don't know why I even tried to do a little shopping because it was well past Mckenzie's nap time and she was cranky. I got some pretty ugly looks from a couple of other shoppers when Mckenzie started screaming. So, we headed out, but not before the girls could ride a couple of those car rides. They both had a blast "driving". Mckenzie was making car noises and turning the steering wheel as fast as her little hands would go! Abby through the biggest tantrum tonight. She wanted to eat supper outside, but I said no because it was a little chilly. She got so mad and she even hit me. I tried sending her to time out, but she was saved by Scott's phone call. Normally, I wouldn't have answered, but he only gets one 15 minute call a day where he is at and I didn't want to miss talking to him. Abby was still angry and starting throwing laundry at me while I was talking on the phone. It was crazy! What was even crazier though, was the second I was off the phone, she started to help me pick up the clothes and apologized. Then she went to the dinner table and didn't complain again. I am so glad it is almost my bedtime. I stayed up until almost 3 am reading a book and the girls were wide awake at 7 this morning. So, I am a little tired tonight. Sorry I didn't get any pictures taken today.

Mckenzie had a major meltdown today and it was all because of her bear lovie. I thought I could sneak the bear in the wash for a quick bath. Mckenzie didn't notice at first, but she loves to play with the washer buttons and she managed to turn it off mid-cycle. That is when she saw her beloved bear sitting in the washer and the tears started rolling. It was a long 30 minutes sitting in front of the washer watching it finish up. Mckenzie cried for at least half that time and when she got her wet bear, she couldn't have been happier! We had a similar incident with Abby and her lambie when she was about this same age. I remember Abby sitting on top of washer eating her dinner the entire time lambie was washing. Lambie never got dried either. The rest of the day was pretty mellow. The girls and I ran to the grocery store and Abby asked a million and one questions there and back. Today they all seemed to be questions without answers. "Mommy, why is that car going so slow?" "Mommy, why is that person talking?" "Mommy, why are those cars parked over there?" Heck if I know! Mckenzie napped forever this afternoon and Abby played with play doh for two hours of that so I actually had time to read. It was glorious! Talked to Scott for a little bit today and it sounds like he is having a great time! Not really, but at least now he is working instead of hanging out in Charleston eating at all our old favorite restaurants. I was so jealous he was there for "work" and wasn't even working. Just waiting around for a mission. I hope I get to talk to him again tomorrow. He only gets 15 minutes and that flies by quickly.

Lovin' her doggie!

What can I say? My kids like to take their clothes off!

Dakota thought she could sleep with me last night for some strange reason. I was watching some TV in bed and she started barking at me. I didn't know what she wanted since she had just gone outside. She walked around to the other side of the bed and hopped on up. I tried making her get down, but she just looked at me as if to say "yeah right!" I kept moving my feet and she finally got the hint and jumped down. I guess she thinks since I let her on the couch, the bed is fair game too! It got cold last night and I forgot to turn the heater back on so we all woke up a little cold this morning. Oops! We hung out at the house today. Every time I changed Mckenzie's diaper today, she would run away from me. I don't know if she doesn't like her diapers or if she just likes to be naked. I am thinking she likes to be naked. She went around without a shirt on for a good portion of the morning. We played outside this afternoon after nap time. I had to clean up after the dog out there and it always makes me gag. Abby was so concerned that I was getting sick from picking up after the dog. It was very sweet. Abby played with her new T-ball set. She had a great time whacking the ball and having Dakota fetch the ball back for her. I finally got around to adding more air to all the girls' bouncy balls and boy were they happy their balls would bounce again! We ate dinner outside and it was a little chilly cooling our food quickly. I am not sure how the girls could stand to eat cold ravioli. Abby found a pen today and wrote all over her arms and feet so it was quite the challenge to scrub that off her at bath time tonight.

Not sure the little red coupe is big enough for two!

                             

Chilly, but I am not sure it required a hat (or mittens)

Running laps around the yard. She loves when you time her to see how fast she is!

Putting a little gas the the car.

Playing with her smiley face ball!