FaceBook Posts 2011 - Part 2

I post a lot of  snippets on FaceBook -- the Social Networking site.
I wanted to preserve those snippets here, so they'd be included in the book form of our blog that we're making for the girls.

Below are posts from 2011 (part 2):

July 2, 2011 8:35am

Megan is climbing across a couple step stools placed side by side, while Kayla hollers, "Go for it! Go for it! Go for it! Yay, you did it!

 
July 2, 2011 9:38pm

Big day for little girls -- running around with me and Grandma this morning, running around with daddy this afternoon up to play with Granny and Grandpa -- we were watching a cartoon and snuggling when Kayla announced, "I want to go to sleep now." So we tucked them in bed -- and it's pretty quiet in there!

July 3, 2011 9:36am

While putting on a different tutu, Kayla just announced: "We have a lot of tutus in our house!"

July 3, 2011 9:25pm

This afternoon, the girls had some of those glow in the dark bracelets that last a few hours. I took them to the store this evening, and they helped me put away groceries. I guess I shouldn't have been so alarmed at the glowing green thing in the pantry when I opened the door tonight -- but it was creepy!

July 4, 2011 10:00am
 Kayla, to the dog, about her breakfast: "This is not for you, Loki, this is for the girls!"

July 4, 2011 10:16am
 Kayla is singing everything she's doing.
"Kayla wants to read this book"
  
"But she dropped it. Now she picked it up"
all to the tune of mary had a little lamb.
I didn't know 2.5 year olds would speak...er, sing... in third person!

July 12, 2011 6:55am
 Look out, Miss Kelli Martin....Megan's in one this morning.
She wants mashed potatoes for breakfast!! She's reluctantly settling for cherrios and fruit.
[ Kelli is our awesome day care provider!]

July 16, 2011 11:15am
I made jello this morning.
Boiled filtered water in the microwave.
Forgot that when i added the jello, it would make "angry water"..and I burned two fingers.
Yes, while making jello.
What a talent I have in the kitchen! : )

July 16, 2011 8:07pm
Mike just did eenie-meenie-minie-moe with the girls to see who gets out of the tub first.
Whoever was chosen, giggled "no!!" and he explained to her, "yes, we did eenie-meenie.
That'll hold up in a court of law!"

July 17, 2011 10:09pm
Just checked on the girls.
Megan's legs were hanging all the way off the side of the bed.
Kayla was laying backwards in hers, but stirred at the door/light...and ended up with her legs out of the bed.

Luckily we were able to move them into more normal positions.
Oh to be 2 1/2 again and sleep in any position... : )

July 18, 2011 7:02am

As the girls left with daddy to go to Miss Kelli Martin's house today, Megan called, out, "Thank you for having us, Grandma!"
Kayla said "Grandma not here, she went home."
Megan laughed and announced, "you're not Grandma, you're mommy!"
At least they're polite : )

July 22, 2011 7:06pm
Hmm.
A heart-shaped jello piece made Megan hold it up in the air and sing the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star song to it.
She told me it was a heart shaped piece....apparently Megan Hearts stars?

July 25, 2011 8:00pm
Kayla pointed to Mike Vogts's Big Lebowski shirt and said "who's that guy?"
Mike answered, "The Dude."
Kayla responded, "I like The Dude!" and burst into a song, "I like The Dude I like The Dude..."

July 31, 2011 3:44am
Dear Megan, if you're up at 3am crying, please clearly articulate in your big girl words, what's wrong and what mommy can do to fix it.
"Because" just doesn't help mommy out.
Or am I asking too much of a 2 1/2 year old... : )

August 8, 2011 5:41pm
Talked to my girls -- they're at their granny and grandpa's house.
Now I miss them even more!!
Being pretty much laid up for the past 10 days has taken a toll on me in more ways than one!
I'm glad they're getting time with their grandparents and appreciate their help beyond words, but I'm ready to see my little girls : ) : )

August 10, 2011 11:10am
Daddy had a fun time with the girls today!
They refused to nap -- got into the closet and got out some hats and scarves and played dressup!!
(They wear tutu's at home probably 50% of the time LOL)
      
August 13, 2011 3:46pm
I drove over a speed bump in a parking lot.
Kayla announced, "That was a big bump! Mommy did something wrong!"
  August 14, 2011 2:17pm
Mike Vogts put on some strange toddler cartoon for the girls, who woke up fussy from a nap.
After a couple minutes, he announced, "This show is awful!"
He asked Kayla if she liked it. "Yes! I like it!"
She sounds like she loves it, and since she's sitting on daddy's lap, he's enduring it.
Definitely has a mind of her own :)



August 17, 2011 8:45pm
The girls are getting confused this evening.
They're commingling songs, "Jesus' Little Lamb" and "Mary had a little lamb" -- Jesus had a little lamb with fleece as white as snow.


August 18, 2011 6:45am
Mary had a little lamb", sung as a duet, at a very high volume. What a way to start the day LOL

August 19, 2011 7:01am
Mike and I accidentally dressed the girls alike today. Sorry Miss Kelli Martin! : )

August 21, 2011 9:59pm
One of the last things I want to be doing at 9:45 at night is playing "where's your diaper?" with Megan.

August 23, 2011 7:03am

WHY do our girls insist on wearing shoes that don't fit? And argue that they DO fit...and cry if they cant find them!

August 26, 2011 12:23am

Loki was barking. Megan watched.
Then she looked up at me and said, "When I get big I'll be a dog and can bark like that."

I didn't know how to respond to that one!   August 26, 2011 12:25am  Mike Vogts was mowing the lawn when Kayla asked, "What's Mike doing now?" I was quite bewildered. I said "who's Mike, Kayla?" She didn't tell me, but instead, said, "You're Jenn, Mommy!" And just the other day I asked her what my name was and she said "mommy". I asked her what Daddy calls me, and she said "I dunno". August 26, 2011 12:51am [Posted to Miss Kelli] Tonight, after bath time when the girls were in jammies with bedtime approaching, Megan asked, "Can we go to Miss Kelli's?" Knowing that bedtime was close, I was really tempted to say yes and let you deal with the never-ending stall tactics....but I figured you'd see us coming and hide. ;) It's nice to know they like it at your house   August 28, 2011 10:12pm Dear Megan and Kayla, It's after 10pm. PLEASE GO TO SLEEP! Love, Mommy and Daddy August 28, 2011 10:59pm Earlier this evening, I asked Megan to hand me her diaper off the bathroom counter. She couldn't quite reach it. She stretched as far as she could, then, while stretching, said... "Maybe I can reach it with my super powers" ..... She got a step stool and was able to reach it for me. I'm still waiting to see what super powers she has. August 29, 2011 9:00pm The girls heard me telling Mike Vogts how you weren't feeling 100% and probably had a bug. So tonight at bedtime, Kayla announced, "Grandma has a bug on her back." Megan chimed in, "Yeah, Grandma doesn't feel well." So..how's that bug on your back, mom? :  August 29, 2011 9:03pm Kayla and Megan both wanted me to sing them the turtle song. I have NO idea if that was a real song or not. Kelli Martin, Cathy Vogts, Ruth Evans Bingham .. anyone teach them a turtle song? Of course, the request came right after she informed me, "When I grow up, I'm going to be a turtle. When you grow up, you're going to be a mommy turtle." August 30, 2011 7:05am I'm always saying "pick your battles". So why does it always bug me when the girls pick out clothes that don't match and refuse to wear something that does match? It's not a battle worth fighting these days, believe me..there are plenty of others. : ) August 30, 2011 8:24pm  Things I learned on the drive to daycare today: - The sun has two brothers, and they're mean - They live in the Sun House - They have a mommy, and she is Megan September 1, 2011 6:30pm I'm watching daddy play with the girls on the floor. Kayla announced, "You're the dragon". Daddy lifted Kayla in the air, and Megan hollered, "Stop, Dragon! That's my Kayla-sister!" September 1, 2011 7:01pm I painted my girls' finger nails pink and their toe nails purple. Then they wanted their finger nails purple, too. Unfortunately, they got allllll smeared. Megan was so proud of hers, she said "Kelli Martin is going to love these"" September 2, 2011 7:10pm Kayla: "When I was a baby, I was young." September 2, 2011 7:42pm Daddy: "Megan, maybe you should take the peanut butter cracker out from between your toes and then Loki won't keep trying to get it. September 3, 2011 9:35pm I am thankful that we have the electricity back on. It awfully cute watching Megan console Loki (the dog) though. Loki was begging (whining) and Megan thought he was upset at the power being out. "It's okay, Loki, the power just went off. It's okay."  [Loki is our dog] September 5, 2011 8:34am I gave Kayla a piece of my sausage biscuit sandwich. She dropped part of it, and said, "I dropped it all over the place and now I don't have a sandwich." Loki did, though!  [Loki is our dog] September 10, 2011 5:37pm  Kayla and I had quite the conversation, explaining what Grandma Ruth Evans Bingham's cat's name is - Oreo -- and where it comes from (black and white cat, the Oreo cookie...) She seemed to get it. A few minutes later, she told Megan, "Grandma's cat is named Mario." September 10, 2011 9:33pm Ticks creap! me! out! [Posted after finding a tick on the back of Kayla's knee.  Mike removed it.] September 11, 2011 7:28pm The girls went over to Grandma Ruth Evans Bingham's for a couple hours. They had a ball! Gave Mike and I a chance to do some things without our little helpers. Megan cried all the way home (through the yards) but a few oyster snack crackers from a measuring cup put a smile on her face again, and Kayla announced, "Megan is happy again!" September 13, 2011 6:47pm This morning, Megan wanted not only to wear a "pretty skirt", but she wanted a "pretty skirt to match Kennadi's pretty skirt" September 17, 2011 10:27pm [Posted to Taylor Masterson, the girls' babysitter] Best "pretend babysitter"* ever! Thanks, Taylor!! * as described by Kayla or Megan September 18, 2011 8:29am hey, hey, we don't poke each other with food" -- Mike Vogts, 9/18/11 September 19, 2011 7:31pm Kayla: "When I grow up, I'm going to be a big piggy pirate!" Megan; "I'm going to be a little piggy pirate!" Thanks, Dora the Explorer, for piggy pirate characters! September 23, 2011 9:43pm I was singing to the girls at bed time when Kayla interrupted my song. "Sing in the living room," she said. Me: "in the living room?" Kayla: "yes" Me: "You want me to sing in the living room, while you're in your bedroom?" Kayla: "yes" Me: "You don't want to hear me sing?" Kayla: "no" September 24, 2011 10:13pm  Tonight my bedtime-singing-to-the-girls was interrupted by Kayla exclaiming, "I need my pretty sock! My ruffle socks!" followed by a search for socks that she apparently *had* to have to sleep. Strike 2! September 30, 2011 8:21pm Yes!! Kayla finally told us she had to go potty! Maybe she's finally going to get it! October 1, 2011 6:27pm Kayla requested breakfast today....I was offering oranges, and she countered with , "Peas! And a peanut butter sandwich!"" October 1, 2011 9:11am Megan announced her car "ran out of gas". Where do they learn these things! October 8, 2011 10:57pm Right about now, three years ago, my husband Mike Vogts was telling me to go to bed. It was the last night before the girls were born. Seems like only yesterday! October 9, 2011 6:38pm They turned 3 today. They had a lot of fun, with presents at breakfast and a family party at lunch. They played with their new toys and ate dinner. They had a bath, and were in bed at 6pm. And asleep shortly thereafter. Yes, that's 2 to 2.5 hours earlier than normal. It was a big (no-nap) day : ) October 16, 2011 4:36pm Just watched Megan jump in front of daddy as he was walking through the living room -- and yell, "RED LIGHT DADDY!" Daddy waited until she yelled "GREEN LIGHT" so he could keep walking. My daughter, the traffic signal : ) October 22, 2011 4:43pm  overheard -- "Oh! Mr. Potato head! are you alright?" October 22, 2011 6:59pm Girls are playing, taking turns pretending to be the baby. "Baby, do you want a tomato?"  Wonder where that idea came from. i never fed them tomatoes as babies! LOL October 23, 2011 10:44am Kayla: I'm going to eat the rest tomorrow at Miss Kelli's. ( Kelli Martin) Me: Oh, really? Kayla: Yes. We're not going to Kelli's today - Kelli is at Disney World. Me: What's she doing at Disney World? Kayla: Getting a new crown for me! October 23, 2011 3:05pm Kelli, I'm ready to send the girls over for a nap. They won't sleep for me! Lol October 26, 2011 9:37pm  Tonight Kayla asked if she could brush my hair. That was different. November 4, 2011 7:19pm  The girls wanted to wear dresses to Miss Kelli's this morning. The dresses were sleeveless summer dresses -- so of course, being the parents we are, told them they couldn't wear them.........without clothes underneath They are STILL wearing the dresses, over their pants and long sleeved shirts. Silly girls!" November 5, 2011 11:38pm I'm exhausted! A busy day this morning shopping with my mom and girls at a craft show and a shopping bazaar, then lunch, then an attempt at getting the girls to nap. This evening, to a basket raffle dinner with my mom and sister. Afterwards, hanging out at mom's talking right through an earthquake. Figured we should go home since mom went to bed. A really fun day! November 6, 2011 8:52am  So Megan is prancing around, singing "Match your bottoms, match your bottoms" I >think< she's matching a puzzle piece color to the color of her pants. November 12, 2011 12:53am  Home at last! And in the "It's a small world" department shared the last leg of my flight home with my friend Teresa Young Smith!  A long week -- but the group of co-workers with me was great!  Now resisting the urge to wake my girls up just to hug them!!" November 20, 2011 10:48am  Kayla, while watching Enchanted Forest Dora, "When I grow up, I can be a baby dragon! November 21, 2011 8:34pm So we had a family anniversary celebration for Mike's parents this weekend. Guess what shows up today -- the last of the decorations!! I wonder if the girls would like their room decorated in a "Happy 40th Anniversary" theme..." November 27, 2011 10:48am We call the dog by making a clicking sound.  The girls are trying to coax Loki into their room. Megan is calling, "here, Loki" and Kayla is making a clicking noise.  Loki is following them -- but I think it has more to do with the cracker Megan has in her hand." November 27, 2011 12:31pm Kayla: My two Cinderellas! I really missed them! Oh Look! Hello Kitty! December 2, 2011 8:47pm Yesterday morning, we were leaving for work and Miss Kelli Martin's house. Mike Vogts was putting the license tag on my vehicle, and I was getting the girls in the seats in the van. It was cold, so I got in the front seat of the van while Mike finished. I've said several times, "I can't drive the van" because it's so BIG to me and it's a challenge for me to park. I guess the girls have been listening.... Kayla: "Mommy, you can't drive!" Me: "I can't? Why not?" Kayla: "Because you don't know how!" December 3, 2011 11:30am  Kayla is on day 3 of wearing big girl panties...with no accidents for the last 2 days! FINALLY!! December 9, 2011 7:36pm Megan hugged me. Me: Aww, I love you, Megan Megan: Thanks. December 10, 2011 9:03pm  Kayla: I found the 'Jesus' book! Me: Are you going to listen to it? Kayla: Yes! And not push the buttons! Kayla: Book: To record, move switch to Unlock position. Me: You pushed the button. Kayla: Yeah December 10, 2011 10:51pm  Megan spun around in a chair saying, "Look, mommy! I'm spinning like a dreidel!" December 13, 2011 6:54pm   Thankful Kayla didn't get sick in the car on the way home from daycare. Sorry that she got sick AT daycare and had to come home early.....and sorry that. She's still dry heaving periodically :( December 14, 2011 5:29pm  Broke down and called the pediatrician about Kayla. Just got back from the pharmacy with anti-nausea medicine for Kayla. So far so good...hopefully this works! December 14, 2011 11:30pm  Am I the only one that didn't know this stuff existed? Kayla was on day 2 of persistent vomiting. The nurse asked if we'd tried Emetrol. I had no idea what that was! This not only stopped her from throwing up every thing (including water) -- but tonight she even ate jello and kept it down -- woohoo! Had I known this existed, I would have tried it last night. : ( Where's the mommy manual!" December 18, 2011 7:49pm Megan: Mommy, can i get a cup [from the advent calendar] Me: No, we already got cups for today, we have to wait until tomorrow. Kayla: If Daddy was here, he would say yes. Me: he would? Kayla: yes, we'll ask him when he wakes up. : ) Mike Vogts December 24, 2011 1:48am  Last year, Kayla cried and wouldn't get near Santa, so we got a picture of Megan alone with Santa. This year, right before our turn, I asked Kayla if she was going to go sit on Santa's lap -- she shook her head. I asked if she'd stand next to him for a picture, and she said no. When it was our turn, we started walking up to Santa -- and Kayla broke to RUN --- INTO Santa's arms and gave him a big hug!! Silly girl : ) December 25, 2011 7:13pm  Kayla is wearing her mermaid costume. Again. I think this is the third time today she's put it on...maybe fourth. She's our little dress-up girl!! December 25, 2011 10:35pm  So my sister gave my girls each a stick of Pocky. Someone asked Kayla what she had, and she said "hockey". I asked Megan what she had, and she said "hockey player" and proudly showed me her chocolate covered cookie stick. Not sure what to say about that!

FaceBook Posts 2011 - Part 1

I post a lot of  snippets on FaceBook -- the Social Networking site.
I wanted to preserve those snippets here, so they'd be included in the book form of our blog that we're making for the girls.

Below are posts from 2011 (part 1):


January 8, 2011 3:52pm
Daddy: "what comes next?"
Kayla:
Daddy: "say that again?"
Kayla: Daddy: "Cabela's? Are you saying you want to go to Cabella's?"

Kayla: "yes"

[Cabela's is a retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and outdoor gear]

January 9, 2011 5:37pm

I cleaned out the girls' toys and put all the "baby toys" in a box.

Guess what toys they want to play with now? LOL

January 21, 2011 11:11pm

When we put them in bed, the little girls decided to trade beds.

They're both sleeping in each other's beds now.

February 8, 2011 9:20pm
Mike Vogts was clearing the driveway. I swept the snow off the deck.
Megan watched me through the door, Kayla watched me from a chair.

I'd look up every couple of sweeps and wave.
While I wasn't looking, Megan locked the door.
Yes, one of my 2 year olds locked me out of the house!
Luckily, with a little coaching (begging?) she let me back in.
Next time I'm wearing my coat!

February 12, 2011 7:16pm
Megan has bronchitus. Boy does it sound bad when she coughs :( it hurts my throat!"

February 14, 2011 11:51am   

1 sick kiddo + another sick kiddo = 1 sad mommy

February 14, 2011 10:02pm   

Kayla got antibiotics, a breathing treatment, and a Blue's Clues sticker at the doctor's today. She's asleep.
Megan, after her third day of antibiotics, is coughing up a storm in bed, waking herself up.
I'm afraid it's gonna be a long night!

February 17, 2011 8:39pm   

Dear Megan and Kayla. No matter how much you argue about it, we are mommy and daddy to BOTH of you, and no amount of "MY mommy MY daddy" will change that.

February 18, 2011 8:53pm   

Going to bed, Megan didn't fuss, but kept saying "I want new kick. I want new kick" and grinning.

We didnt know what she meant! Finally asked Kayla.

She said "Mewkick"....and it clicked......MUSIC!

 
February 19, 2011 10:31pm   
Megan: I wanna watch Dora
Daddy: Okay, just a second -- watch what he's going to do.
Megan: Otay
Mommy: What are you watching?
Daddy: Dunk contest
As we were leaving tonight, Kayla announced "football!", pointing to a football in our yard. Daddy was proud!

February 25, 2011 7:13pm   

Megan just looked at the laptop, then said, "Tewwi has a puter!" Which translates to: "Kelli Martin has a computer" :)
[Kelli Martin is their daycare provider and she rocks!]

February 26, 2011 4:02pm   

"Mommy: "Where's your sippy"?
Megan: "Kayla stole it"
We've progressed from "took" to "stole"!

  
March 1, 2011 7:38pm  
Why does a child who wants to "do it myself" SOOO badly --- INSIST on wearing a diaper?
big girl panties = do it yourself.
No matter how hard you try, you're not gonna get that diaper on by yourself, little girl!

March 6, 2011 9:58am   
Megan: I think I pooey
Daddy: C'mere, let's see....yep, you are. Let's go change you.
Megan: Can't catch me!!

March 6, 2011 6:59pm   
 Another entry in the "Book of Phrases I Never Thought I'd Say":
         "Daddy is not a potty!"

March 15, 2011 6:59pm   
This past Sunday afternoon, I asked Kayla if she needed changed.
She said, "No, Kelli already changed me."
So, thanks Kelli,  for coming over and changing Kayla's diaper for us when we weren't looking! :) :)

March 19, 2011 11:55pm   
Yet again, Kayla declared "Kelli changed my diaper" -- this time, right after I had changed her.
Believe me, this time I *wish* Kelli had... LOL

March 27, 2011 4:26pm   
Any clue what the "T-Rex game" is? The girls both wanted to play it.
It resulted in everyone stomping around roaring and saying they were a T-Rex.

March 27, 2011 5:56pm  
Megan: "You messy, Kayla
She's right!

March 27, 2011 7:52pm 
Listening to Megan sing the A-B-C's for the umpteenth time in an attempt to keep herself awake.

April 3, 2011 10:331m 
The girls put their coats on and are playing in the kitchen with the Princess Car -- Kayla said she's going to Miss Kelli's, and Megan said she's going to Grandma's.


April 3, 2011 5:37pm  
Megan: (pointing at a chicken nugget on her plate) "We have chicken nuggets at home!"
Me: "We are home."
Megan: "Oh. We have chicken nuggets at Miss Kelli's!"


April 3, 2011 6:17pm   
Daddy sneezes.
Kayla: "you all right, daddy?"
awww : )

April 7, 2011 7:33pm   
I knew it would happen.

I didn't know it would start this early...
Mommy (calling across the yard): Megan, come here please!
Megan: I not Megan
Mommy: Megan, please come here.

Megan: I not Megan, I Kayla!
Mommy: No, you're Megan. I'm sure I can tell you two apart. Come here, Megan.
Megan: Okay, Mommy.

April 9, 2011 10:27am   
Justin Vulliamy I think I saw you last night, but wasnt sure. I was with Ruth Evans Bingham, letting my girls hop around on a stick-lion at the time, so I was a bit distracted. : )

April 9, 2011 11:12am   

The girls love the cartoon SuperWhy -- an educational preschool cartoon for ages 3-6 about reading. They have "super powers" of reading, spelling and things. The girls always say they want to watch "super why, super powers!

This morning, Kayla put on her jelly shoes -- and said she had to put on her "super power shoes"! The jellies have progressed from "princess shoes" to "super power shoes"!

April 10, 2011 8:55am

Yay for little girls sleeping in!
It's almost 9am and they're still asleep! That's what should happen when they're out with mommy and Grandma Ruth Evans Bingham until 9pm!

April 10, 2011 1:28pm
The girls are pushing a large box around that's heavy enough it take them both, singing the Wonder Pets song, "Team work -- what's gonna work Team work" over and over


April 17, 2011 6:55pm
My girls are both asking for a Diet Coke. LOL

It started when Kayla announced that my Kwik Trip cup of Diet Dr. Pepper was diet coke. Now they both climbed into high chairs and asked for Diet Coke, like they're at a restaurant or something!

April 18, 2011 6:24am
Sick daughter x 2 = whiney, clingy dayBoth girls woke up this morning with fevers :(
Megan has a few more messy symptoms.
They're both watching My Little Pony cartoons now, by request.

April 21, 2011 1:52am
High Maintenance Megan

April 30, 2011 11:08am
2 blank sheets of paper + 2 sheets of stickers = 2 very happy little girls!

April 30, 2011 11:57am
If you haven't made muffins with 2 two-year-olds at the same time, you've missed a major life experience. :)

April 30, 2011 5:49pm
The girls are playing hide-and-seek with daddy.
This involves the girls telling him to close his eyes -- then they run to their bedoom.
He says "Where are Kayla and Megan?" and they come running out!

May 7, 2011 9:16am
Hmm. Megan just colored her lips. When daddy told her not to color her lips, she said, "I want to be a princess!"
I guess crayons = lipstick ??

May 10, 2011 6:31pm
Kayla was playing on the laptop.
When I asked her, like always, "are you supposed to be doing that?"
This time I got a different response...
Kayla said, "I'm doing my homework!"

May 14, 2011 2:36pm
I wonder what it means when both girls agree that, "Santa gave us yo-yo's!"

May 18, 2011 7:13pm
Megan drank bathwater from a bath toy.
We told her don't drink the bathwater, and she got all serious and said, "It's my coffee!"
Since none of us here drink coffee...I have to wonder exactly what kind of coffee Kelli makes that looks like bathwater! LOL : )

May 21, 2011 6:01pm
My daughters are so different sometimes...
Kayla made her dollie ride the rocking horse.
Megan threw the dollie aside and rode the rocking horse herself.
Then Kayla rocked Megan on the rocking horse.
Kayla rarely rides it.
Occasionally -- but usually, she brushes its hair instead.

June 11, 2011 10:48am

The girls announced that Daddy had played catch with them.

When he walked into the room a few minutes later, they were excited to yell, "Daddy, play catch with us!"
He smiled and said, "Ok, let's play catch."
Next site -- Megan's sippy flying through the air, accompanied by a squeal, "catch, daddy!"
I guess with 2 1/2 year olds, you need to specify with what you want to play catch...

June 13, 2011 11:30pm

Megan has perfected climbing from one crib into the other.

Kayla isn't quite as comfortable with it yet, but is quite able to do it.
I'm afraid moving the cribs apart would lead to climbing OUT instead of just climbing in with sister.
Megan first throws all of her blankets, pillows, dolls and stuffed animals into Kayla's crib -- then climbs in with Kayla.
Good times ahead, I can tell!

June 16, 2011 8:37pm
Megan climbed out of her bed. "I hung by my hands!"
I'm so not ready for them to grow up this fast!

June 18, 2011 8:13am
Girls slept through the night just fine in the big girl beds! And this morning, they knocked on the inside of their door to come out! So cute : )

June 19, 2011 12:35am

So naptime today in the big girl beds didnt go so well. Gave up -- let them play more..and they fell asleep in teh living room and Daddy carried them to bed for a nap.
But at bed time, they both went willingly, and announced they would stay in bed and would "not play wif goopy" (diaper rash creme). And they actually stayed in bed and went right to sleep!

June 19, 2011 9:58pm

Today was not a good day for Big Girl Beds. The girls never did take a nap. They were up since before 8 am, and asleep probably about 9 pm. FUSSY tired..over tired...and "just want to play a little"...
They're both sound asleep now, backwards in their beds.
And we had it so easy last night...

June 19, 2011 10:49pm
And...Kayla rolled out of her little toddler bed. ARGH I scooped her up and had her tucked back in bed before she really woke up, though.
The little partial-length rails dont really work if they sleep BACKWARDS in their bed!


June 23, 2011 9:25pm
Non entirely suprising -- the girls don't particular care for my book, but prefer their own. Disney Princesses beat out strategic ecommerce website design.

June 24, 2011 8:42pm
Little girls knock on their door to get our attention.
Mike said to me, "I'll get it".

June 24, 2011 8:42pm
Girls FINALLY went to sleep. I 'answered the door' last time they knocked...and Megan very sweetly asked me to "take down that line, we want to play with it".

I finally figured out they were talking about the chair-rail-height wall paper border!!! Pictures of ducks, frogs and turtles....has been there since before they were born.
That "line" better stay on the wall! LOL

June 25, 2011 9:55pm
Well, the girls must have REALLY wanted that "line" [wallpaper border] down off the wall.
They stood on the other one's bed and each managed to start pulling some off the wall!
I have to wonder -- were they on the other one's bed, hoping their sister would get in trouble for it, and not them?

June 26, 2011 8:32pm
Had a great evening with Granny Cathy Vogts and Grandpa Ralph Vogts.
Girls are in their room -- here's hoping they go to sleep and leave the wall paper on the wall! : )

To Be Continued....

FaceBook Posts 2010 - Part 2

I post a lot of  snippets on FaceBook -- the Social Networking site.
I wanted to preserve those snippets here, so they'd be included in the book form of our blog that we're making for the girls.

Below are posts from 2010 (part 2):

October 9, 2010 1:17am "cakes are frosted. woohoo! and there's still some night time left for me to sleep :) :)

October 9, 2010 10:14am
"This girls are down for a nap. I can tell that Kayla is sleeping, and Megan is still awake. I know this because I can hear Megan saying, "Dah, dah, dah" over and over. That's how she says "Kayla", and she doesn't like it when Kayla is asleep and she's not. Hopefully she's not tossing dolls in at Kayla to wake her up, like she sometimes does..."           

October 10, 2010 12:01pm
"It's official. They're two years old, and mommy and daddy survived the first two years!"

October 16, 2010 11:49am
"My girls are supposed to be down for a nap. I can still here one -- I assume, Megan. Sing-song noises, "my doll", and just now, a Diego quote -- over and over -- "FREEZE BOBO""

October 17, 2010 2:39pm
"The only thing more sad than a sick little girl is TWO sick little girls :("

October 17, 2010 9:44pm
"It's official (as official as dr's office measurements can be). Kayla is 1 inch taller than Megan. (I get asked a lot because of how they look in pictures sometimes)"

October 24, 2010 7:26pm
"Had a great time with the girls at Applejack Pumpkin Patch! They got to see some animals, slide on slides, climb in the hay and see a lot of pumpkins up close and personal! (Which was pretty exciting for 2 year olds!)"

October 29, 2010 9:09pm
"Megan and Kayla are sleeping in each other's cribs.
It was Megan's idea.
Mike Vogts let them.
Yes, it was really her idea."

November 14, 2010 8:09pm
"Megan got up. I took her to the living room to rock her, and told her "Lay your head down on mommy's shoulder" and she said "no, i wanna watch football".
She's now sitting on daddy's lap, watching football."

November 19, 2010 8:47pm
"‎Ruth Evans Bingham and my daughters went to dinner tonight at Chilis.
The girls pointed out every "apple" they saw, starting with the big one over the door.
Mom was kind enough to share her dinner with Megan.
And Megan was kind enough to share her mandarin orange-dipped-in-ketchup with her grandma :)"

November 28, 2010 6:08pm
"Our girls have renamed us "mommydaddy" or "daddymommy". They appear to be interchangeable. So do we."

December 5, 2010 10:38am
"‎Mike Vogts is watching a Mickey show with the girls. They're all three in the recliner under several blankets. Soooo sweet!

I love listening to them as they have serious conversations about Mickey and Donald."

December 5, 2010 5:38pm
"We talked to Grandma Ruth Evans Bingham on the phone. We talked to Granny Cathy Vogtson the phone.

Then Kayla was playing with a phone, and announced she was talking to Kelli Martin. She said, "I ate hotdogs" into the phone. Just passing on the message. LOL"

December 7, 2010 7:09am
“Megan told me it was "time to go". I asked her  where she was going. Her answer? "the bus!" She confirmed that Daddy's car was the bus! I guess that means Miss Kelli's house is school? This 2-year-old thing is a fun! (Except when she was up at 1:30 am hollering for Mommy!)”

December 10, 2010 1:04pm
"When I was young, I wanted to be a nurse. My mom pointed out to me that most people dont want a nurse puking on them, which was likely given my low tolerance for gross things.

She never warned me that being a mommy involves a lot of gross things!!
Thank you, Mike Vogts , for taking the worst part of the clean-up effort from the over-night pukefest that occured in the girls' room."

December 22, 2010 5:44pm
"We took the girls to see Santa last night. Megan did great and sat on his lap. Kayla, not so much -- refused to sit on Santa's lap, so this year we have a picture of just Megan. Kayla did wave from a safe distance though!

Once we got home, they were BOTH excited about their trip to see Santa -- same thing today! You'd never know Kayla had thrown a fit about it the way her eyes light up when she grins and says she saw Santa!"

December 22, 2010 8:32pm
Earlier this week we took the girls to see Santa. Kayla wouldn't sit on his lap. Not. At. All. Mike Vogts took a picture of them while we were in line but I don't have it yet. Here's Megan, who DID sit on his lap. She wouldn't smile, but that's not surprising.

They BOTH smile when they tell us how they saw Santa! I guess Kayla forgot how she wailed "DAAAADDDDY!" when mommy tried to set her on Santa's lap.”

December 27, 2010 8:16pm
"All right, who turned the switch from "Sweet Little Girls" to "Fussy Tired w/Attitude"? Whoever did it needs to come tuck them in bed."

December 31, 2010 8:37am
"If I give the girls 1/4 of a graham cracker, they'll say "I want a big one!""


To Be Continued....

FaceBook Posts 2010 - Part 1

I post a lot of  snippets on FaceBook -- the Social Networking site.
I wanted to preserve those snippets here, so they'd be included in the book form of our blog that we're making for the girls.

Below are posts from 2010 (part 1):

February 21, 2010  7:49pm
 "This girls spent the weekend with Granny and Grandpa. I missed them terribly! They all did fine and had a great time though!  Now one is asleep -- and one is fussing in bed. Mommy might have to snuggle with one! :) :)"

March 1, 2010 11:42pm
"Yay for measured feet and properly sized tie-on tennis shoes for 16 month olds! Boo for the fact that only a professional can get them on their feet."

March 1, 2010 1:15am
"My mother kept our dog for us for a few hours this weekend. She mentioned that she made him take a nap. I keep forgetting to ask her how she accomplished that one. I wish my mom would blog...."

March 15, 2010  7:15pm
"The sweetest thing to overhear.... "come here, Daddy will help you""

March 22, 20120 7:46am
"Putting eyedrops in an 18 month old's eyes is quite the challenge!"

April 5, 2010 12:18 am
"I guess the Easter Bunny should have come to our house later. Little Megan woke up and saw them already."

April 11, 2010 9:21am
"A glass of water too near the edge of a desk + quick little girl = first shower for Megan!"

May 9, 2010 10:32pm
A lot of Mother's Days came and went, reminding me of what I didn't have. I am blessed with my girls and treasure them more than words can say. A wonderful day with my girls and both sides of my family. I am truly blessed, this day and every day.

July 15, 2010 7:14pm
"My girls asked for french fries before bed. I didn't know they knew how to say "french fries". Now they're in bed, yelling for daddy. I guess maybe they think he'll give them french fries?"

August 7, 2010 10:10pm
"Megan and I got home from Grandma's a few minutes after Daddy put Kayla in bed.   We got Megan ready for bed, and Daddy carried her. In the hall, he explained Kayla was a sleep, we had to be quiet, and they both said "Shh Shh Shh" together.
 Daddy stepped up the door and before he could open it, Megan leaned forward and pounded on the door, yelling "knock! knock! knock!". So much for not waking Kayla!"

August 11, 2010 10:00pm
"It's cute when Megan says "I go" in the morning, because she wants to go to Miss Kelli's.
It's not so cute when I say "okay, give mommy a hug?" and she says "no, I go" because she wants to go to Miss Kelli's. At least hug mommy g'bye first! LOL"

August 25, 2010 7:05am
"I understand FB ads are tailored to you based on your interests as evidenced by your information.....but Minnesota Twins baseball is soooooo not the kind of "twins" that have my interest......and I refuse to by MLB custom M&M's for that team, just because my girls are twins."

September 21, 2010 8:47pm
“Our girls' latest trick --- laying their heads down and making fake snoring noises.
Where'd they learn that one :)”

September 26, 2010 10:32pm
"When little Megan cries when we put her in bed, it tugs the heartstrings. When she cries and wails "Mommy! Mommy!", though, it tugs the tear-duct strings.

Then there's little Kayla, who just lays down in her crib to go to sleep."




To Be Continued....

I did it

In Andover out on east Central there's a municipal park that I've taken the girls to a few times (though not as often as I should). Pretty standard stuff as far as city parks go: the two main features being a couple of jungle gyms. One is kind of roped based, with a plastic super-structure (thanks, Star Wars) filled with strategically placed holes and climbing hand-holds. The other is basically fort-themed, with a couple of slides, one straight and one "twisty" that is considerably higher up.

Each time we've gone, there's been a progression on what the girls are capable of doing. The first time, navigating the "swinging bridge" on the fort was the big achievement. It's one of those contraptions that is jointed several times over the length, and slopes down in the middle. The effect is a perpetually changing, uneven surface, and kids have to carefully navigate themselves over the bridge or risk getting stuck. That first time, the girls a couple of times did just that, getting a leg a bit out of place and not really knowing what to do next. But after a few tries and restarts, they were able to get from one end to the other, and this was a proud achievement.

The second (or maybe third) time was the twisty slide. Daddy said no the first couple of times we went, as the top of this slide is about 20 feet in the air, and all kinds of horrible scenes of little girls flying off into a random direction while daddy desperately tries to run and catch them fill your mind. Absurd in retrospect, of course. There's got to be at least a 2 foot groove in the slide at the top; you literally can barely see the top of their head as they begin sliding down. The sides are curved inward as well, almost to the point where it's completely enclosed. I should have of course known that designers and lawyers had long ago performed a strange dance that lead to this incredibly safe piece of playground equipment, but understand, the last time I spent significant time on a playground, the infamous "bump" slide at the Canton Grade School still existed, where the "side" was about an inch high, and the "jungle gym" was just a bunch of pipes welded together in a cube-like pattern.

They handled the "big kid slide" without issue of course, loving every minute of it. Kayla also surprised by easily handling a set of circular climbing stairs that, likewise, takes her up at least 10 feet to the safety of the fort, which she found the best way to head toward the slide again. Again, Daddy was a bit nervous about this, but her footing was sure, and even if Megan was still content to run around the long and safer way to get back into the fort, it was clearly another day of big achievement.

Then this Sunday, we decided to attack the rope gym. This one is definitely made for bigger kids, as to get on it properly requires risking an unsteady "web" of rope suspended semi-horizontally, which itself requires being able to sort of leap out onto it, as there's a good 2 foot gap between where the ropes are anchored to the structure and the web structure begins. They tried this but were not ready for it, as they kept getting high centered on the initial connecting rope, not stable or sure enough to make it out to the web.

However, the back side of the structure also contains a multi-layer climbing activity, which if you make it to the top, puts you a good 10 feet above the ground, sitting on the crest of the up-sloping web. This is also something we've tried before, but have never defeated, getting scared when faced with open air on the third level.

Not this time. Megan was the first to reach the summit, surprisingly. She hoisted her leg up further than I would have though possible, allowing herself to leave the comfort of "ground" and hang momentarily until she could pull her self up through the hole and onto the third landing. Kayla had one false start where she chickened out, but I think couldn't stand the thought of Megan being able to do it and not her, and similarly made it through on the second try. The pride on their faces was so evident; I tried to photograph them both, but the sun was in a bad position to get a clear shot. "I did it" and "I did it too", however, are exact quotes, uttered by both girls at the moment of their triumph.

As I thought about this later when posting the photos from my phone, it occurred to me that "I did it" might be the greatest thing you will ever hear your child say. There's a balance there to figure out. Be there, be helpful, but make sure you're not doing it for them. She has to figure out she can lift that foot off the second landing and hang on with only her hands. You did it, big girls.

Twin Challenge

Good luck with this one!

Language

Do you want to learn to speak 3 year old? Sure, we all do. But who has time for boring drills or memorization? With Rosetta Stone: 3 Year Old, however, on your first day you'll be saying words like:

- Old McDonald's: Any fast food restaurant, whether it is actually McDonalds or not
- Forsmithias: Any yellow flower, except dandelions
- Last Morning: An indeterminate amount of time usually - but not necessarily - in the past. Can refer to any hour of the day as well, from actual morning to the dead of night

Stressful week at home this past. Thanks to a project at work I spent what seemed like about 80 hours in the office getting some servers rebuilt, while Jenn took care of the girls almost exclusively while battling a cold/fever as well. Get's better to, as I'm in KC this weekend for training. Jenn, the girs and I are going to be taking a mini vacation up here to KC at the end of May, though, so some relaxation coming up. Well, as much relaxation as you can get with two 3 year olds at least.

Girls for their part are continuing to grow and develop like weeds. Probably 99% potty trained at this point. Sometimes the pooey thing is a bit of a problem, and there is an accident every once in a while, but more often than not they're running off to the bathroom on their own, with a shout of intent. We don't really do a good job of keeping track of their height or anything, but every once in a while I'll be struck at how tall they look or how heavy they feel.

Kayla continues to be the one most concerned about what she's wearing. Usually wants to be in a dress, always very concerned about being in a skirt or having the right shirt. Not uncommon for her to change clothes 2 or 3 times in the evenings. Once she learns about clothes matching and styles it'll be all over. Seems like she might have a Daddy's Girl streak in her too; always quick to say that she liked basketball/football/Jupiter/whatever boring program Daddy watches those rare times he commandeers the TV. Favorite TV right now: Doc McStuffins.

Megan cares about fashion sometimes, but not nearly as much as Kayla. Flat refused every dress Mommy offered the other day in favor of a long-sleeve KU shirt and grey pants. Likes the iPad/laptops more than Kayla, though both girls have cooled on the iPad somewhat lately. She likes rough-housing more than Kayla, and is always ready to be thrown around or "get" Daddy. Favorite TV right now: Little Einsteins.

Plum Tuckered Out

Kayla and Megan were playing around a lot in their room before FINALLY collapsing and going to sleep.

Kayla apparently didn't make it into bed....

Wordless Wednesday - Kayla's Dance

Twin Challenge - Answer

(If, on the last post, you guessed Kayla on the left and Megan on the right -- you were correct!)

 

Twin Challenge

As the girls grow up, they look different and their different personalities really show.  But I see them all the time.  I'm not sure if they look as alike to people who don't see them all the time like I do!

Can you tell who's who?

Wordless Wednesday - Megan's Ice Cream

What it's like to be a parent

The whole bedtime/wakeup thing is always an adventure for us. Kayla and Megan usually get put to bed by 7:30 or 8, but when they actually go to sleep tends to vary, depending on how much tired energy they have. Usually it's by 8:30 but often it can stretch to 9:30 or beyond, which can make for some rough mornings.

On weekends they'll naturally wake up around 7:30 or 8, and be happy as clams, but on weekdays I have to get them up by 6:30 or so, to have time to get us all ready and out the door. That extra hour makes a world of difference; they're almost never ready to get up, and are usually pretty grumpy about it. A ritual of sorts has been established, a small little play that is acted out every morning.

IGNORE ME!: Daddy comes in to wake us up, to stunning indifference. If they are not already, both girls will quickly cover themselves with whatever blanket or pillow is near to hide from the sudden light, while Daddy gently prompts that it's time to get up, usually while killing time playing Words with Friends. Any suggestion of getting up, going potty, getting dressed, or any other activity is met with grunts of discord from beneath the covers. This is just the warm up; I know better than to rip off blankets or scoop them out of bed so soon, as this will just lead to Grumpy.

It's Fun Game Time!: Sometimes hiding beneath covers will lead to a game of hide and seek or peek-a-boo, which, if we're awake enough, will elicit some smiles and laughter. Once in a while the girls completely hide themselves beneath the covers, at which point they magically transform into "lumpy blankets" that can be playfully probed by Daddy. Sometimes Mommy is able to execute The Scoop Maneuver with minimal collateral damage. Occasionally there is some success with suggesting that someone can "win" the race to get potty'd and dressed first, or perhaps promises of breakfast if we happen to be really hungry. Grumpy slowly begins to melt away. This phase is of course pleasant and enjoyable, as playing with your children is pretty much why anyone becomes a parent in the first place. However caution must be exercised, because we are entering the...



Danger Zone!: We reach the critical phase, Grumpy Defcon 4. Fun Game Time will usually result in an awake and happy child, who will be glad to trundle off to the bathroom to begin her morning routine. However, if you push the issue too fast, or don't engage in the appropriate amount of Fun Game Time (which is unknown, of course), we immediately enter Condition Grumpy, resulting in a refusal to go potty, disapproval of any and all clothes suggestions, and a generally cantankerous attitude at least until we've been able to absorb 5 minutes of Dora. Losing the battle at this stage is heartbreaking, because it's one of those situations where you instantly know when you've misstepped, but you also know there's no chance at recovery.The magical wake-up script has been broken, and there's nothing to do but grin and bear it.

Rinse, lather, and repeat every weekday for the next 15 years.