Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Grandpa's Church of the Hay Bale
I'm driving the girls home, and we drive past a field.
There are hay bales scattered around the field, which catch Kayla's eye.
(not my photo)
Kayla: I see hay bales! Those are called hay bales. Grandpa calls them hay bales.
Mommy: He does?
Kayla: Yes -- he calls them hay bales. He learned that at school.
Mommy: He did?
Kayla: No, he learned that at church!
Mommy: He learned that those are hay bales at church?
Kayla: Yeah
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Kayla and Megan at 3
First up, some media:
Yes, it's the Big 3-0, minus 27. We had a nice party at the house here with Grandma, Granny and Grandpa, Linda, Jalen, Jordan, and Karen, Carl, and Nathan. The day was exciting enough that the girls were in bed and asleep by 6:30, which around here might as well be Halley's Comet.
To say Oct 9 snuck up on us this year is an understatement. Literally, the phrase "Huh, guess we ought to plan a party?" was uttered between Jenn and I less than 2 weeks ago. Meanwhile the girls continue to evolve at an almost frightening pace, identifying letters on site (particularly "M" and "K"), talking more and better, and just generally continuing to amaze.
We've had many adventures in the four months since I last posted, amazing tales of wonder and discovery. If only I had some means to convey them to you! Yes, I have slacked greatly. Some highlights:
- We had a trip to the zoo, meeting Tricia and Emma there on a Sunday morning. It was a cooler day, right after the heat wave broke; too cool (and windy) for little girls as it turned out, who showed up in sleeveless shirts and skirts thanks to our poor planning. A couple of quick purchases of long sleeved shirts from the gift shop helped solve the problem. One of the first things we saw were the giraffes, and when asked the girls will be happy to tell you about the lions, elephants, bears, penguins, gorilla, and the peacock.
- Several times the past few weeks Daddy - and this weekend, Mommy and Grandma - have taken the girls to a park on Central here in Andover, which is pretty nice as far as parks in mid-major city suburbs go. It also gives the girls a chance to demonstrate a level of agility and bravery that Daddy did not know they have and, quite frankly, I'm not quite sure I'm ready for. Oh look, there's my daughter climbing a pole 9 feet off the ground, that's something I'm totally not worried about!
- Big girls acting their age (for the most part) also get to go over to Grandma's to play after daycare/work a lot lately, while Daddy mows the lawn or whatever. We still haven't quite got that whole potty training thing down yet, but the work continues.
- As demonstrated above, the Moon is a constant source of fascination; we almost always look for it going to Miss Kelli's in the mornings. Venus was visible in the sky the other morning as well, and they seemed interested when I pointed out that it wasn't actually a star, but a planet. Yes, I am blatantly trying to turn my daughters in to astronomers, but I'm being realistic. One of them may choose theoretical physics.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Monday, August 08, 2011
Big Girl Beds - Pictures!
Technically, the pink bed is a Disney Princesses bed. The purple bed is a Disney Tinkerbell bed.
However, we opted not to put the stickers on the bed for several reasons.
One, we were afraid it might encourage the girls to fight over which bed belonged to which one.
Two, we were afraid they might rip the stickers off. They LIKE tearing stickers off of things.
They like tearing WALLPAPER borders, after all...but you can hardly tell, since it went back together so well. Except for the piece that ripped off. That part couldn't be pieced back together.
So we didn't take the chance, and there's never been a question about which one got in which bed. We told Kayla the pink one was hers, and Megan that the purple one was hers -- they accepted that and haven't disputed it.
Now the princess and tinkerbell bedding, we did use -- and the girls have taken to those quite well. Even carrying them into the living room! And they know who's is who's and ask for it specifically, no fights there. yay!
We saved the stickers, so we can add them later. When the girls get over the sticker-ripping phase.
The beds also have canopies -- we can add them later, when they're older, too. They're too active now, we keep having to put the side back on Kayla's bed because it doesn't fit quite right and it gets knocked off. I can't imagine what would happen to the canopies.
Marketing pictures:
Someday they might look like these.
But for now, they look like these!
However, we opted not to put the stickers on the bed for several reasons.
One, we were afraid it might encourage the girls to fight over which bed belonged to which one.
Two, we were afraid they might rip the stickers off. They LIKE tearing stickers off of things.
They like tearing WALLPAPER borders, after all...but you can hardly tell, since it went back together so well. Except for the piece that ripped off. That part couldn't be pieced back together.
So we didn't take the chance, and there's never been a question about which one got in which bed. We told Kayla the pink one was hers, and Megan that the purple one was hers -- they accepted that and haven't disputed it.
Now the princess and tinkerbell bedding, we did use -- and the girls have taken to those quite well. Even carrying them into the living room! And they know who's is who's and ask for it specifically, no fights there. yay!
We saved the stickers, so we can add them later. When the girls get over the sticker-ripping phase.
The beds also have canopies -- we can add them later, when they're older, too. They're too active now, we keep having to put the side back on Kayla's bed because it doesn't fit quite right and it gets knocked off. I can't imagine what would happen to the canopies.
Marketing pictures:
But for now, they look like these!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Big Girl Beds
...or, How To Create Chaos Using Five Feet of Steel and Plastic
So yeah, a couple weeks ago the girls finally realized that any illusion of imprisonment offered by the cribs was of their own making, and started moving between at their leisure. We have no right to complain or feel sorry for ourselves of course: 2 years and 6 months is well past the expected useful lifespan of a baby crib, but still...These are the times that try parent's souls.
The Disney Princess and Fairy beds have actually been purchased for the better part of a year, hastily acquired after Kayla somehow managed to get out of her crib one night, a skill she promptly forgot about. Even when Musical Cribs started up, we yet hesitated, trying to rely on stern words and/or bribes to delay the inevitable. But eventually you work through the seven stages and arrive at acceptance, and so on a Friday during work (via email), the plans were made.
I set to work as soon as I got the girls home, getting about halfway through one bed when Jenn arrived home to assist. It seems like Bed #1 (a.k.a. Pink Princess) was finished somewhere around 7, when reality began to set in. "Huh", I said to myself, "They're supposed to be in bed within the hour." Wasting no time, I began work on Bed #2 (a.k.a. Purple Fairy), thankful that we had the random flare of wisdom to wait until Friday to attempt this procedure.
The beds were greeted with great enthusiasm by their intended occupants upon first unveiling, and they were happy to sit and watch TV on Pink Princess in the living room as I toiled on the second bed, and Momma "wide-awake-and-trapped-toddler proofed" their bedroom. Eventually Purple Fairy sprang into life as well, and then began Phase 2: Crib Disassembly. This was relatively painless, as the cribs we got come apart rather easily, and I have some experience in the matter, having done so a while back thanks to a recall. Meanwhile, excitement grew in the living room as Little Girls slowly gained the super powers that seem to be granted to tired 2 year olds. My wife and I shared knowing glances in between hauling, storing, and/or securing various items: Trouble is brewing.
Finally all traces of the cribs were removed, Pink Princess and Purple Fairy placed in their respective places of honor, and the requisite pillows, blankets, and assorted stuffed beings collected. Estimated Time of Completion was approximately 10:00. Nature sort of took over for us at that point, and while there was a bit of consternation at the reality of the situation ("I want big bed"), sleep eventually slipped over our charges with only minimal maintenance on our part. We h ad accomplished our goal, and it seemed as if the transition would be relatively smooth.
And then came Saturday.
The girls have an internal clock that is really quite remarkable in accuracy, at least when it comes to waking up in the morning. I myself never last past 7:00am on weekend, usually more like 6, and the girls likewise seem set to 7:30 CST. It's a running joke at this point between myself and Jenn. A late night usually does little to affect this, and sure enough, there they were knocking on their door before the accustomed time, ready to get their day started.
Things were fine, if a bit tense, as Tired Little Girls did have a bit of an attitude. We figured an early afternoon nap would be possible, and tried laying them down in the big girl beds, to much protest. Several minutes later, we tried again. And then again. And yet again. Still the wailing protests continued, interspersed with bouts of either noisy play, knocking at the door, fighting, and singing. Were I a smarter man, I would have recorded the cacophony and had a hit Broadway play on my hands, but oh well, I hear the Tony Awards is all politics anyway.
Naptime jettisoned, we pushed through the afternoon/supper/evening, treading through the field of tripwires and landmines as best we could. Night-Night time produced similar drama, and in the end was only successful thanks to the various limitations of human child biology. You can't imagine the terror Kayla and Megan faced down in this suddenly evil concept called sleep. They needed a special blanket, not that special blanket of course, but the other special one, in the living room, come here Mommy I'll show you. No no no, not that blue one, the one that's red but I'm going to call it blue. But then what about the Special Baby, her pacifier is not on properly. Wait, did you put the pacifier on that baby? WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR, IT CLEARLY SHOULD BE OFF! And really, how can I be expected to go to sleep with all of these blankets in here?
And so it went throughout the weekend. The real kick in the teeth was when we took them to daycare on Monday, warning Miss Kelli about our tribulations, only to later receive the report that they napped for a good two hours and it was no big deal at all. Thanks for that, girls.
Things have evened out though, as they always do. We actually did get a naptime in this past weekend, and Night-Night Time is becoming less drama filled every successive night, as we slowly develop our routine.
So yeah, a couple weeks ago the girls finally realized that any illusion of imprisonment offered by the cribs was of their own making, and started moving between at their leisure. We have no right to complain or feel sorry for ourselves of course: 2 years and 6 months is well past the expected useful lifespan of a baby crib, but still...These are the times that try parent's souls.
The Disney Princess and Fairy beds have actually been purchased for the better part of a year, hastily acquired after Kayla somehow managed to get out of her crib one night, a skill she promptly forgot about. Even when Musical Cribs started up, we yet hesitated, trying to rely on stern words and/or bribes to delay the inevitable. But eventually you work through the seven stages and arrive at acceptance, and so on a Friday during work (via email), the plans were made.
I set to work as soon as I got the girls home, getting about halfway through one bed when Jenn arrived home to assist. It seems like Bed #1 (a.k.a. Pink Princess) was finished somewhere around 7, when reality began to set in. "Huh", I said to myself, "They're supposed to be in bed within the hour." Wasting no time, I began work on Bed #2 (a.k.a. Purple Fairy), thankful that we had the random flare of wisdom to wait until Friday to attempt this procedure.
The beds were greeted with great enthusiasm by their intended occupants upon first unveiling, and they were happy to sit and watch TV on Pink Princess in the living room as I toiled on the second bed, and Momma "wide-awake-and-trapped-toddler proofed" their bedroom. Eventually Purple Fairy sprang into life as well, and then began Phase 2: Crib Disassembly. This was relatively painless, as the cribs we got come apart rather easily, and I have some experience in the matter, having done so a while back thanks to a recall. Meanwhile, excitement grew in the living room as Little Girls slowly gained the super powers that seem to be granted to tired 2 year olds. My wife and I shared knowing glances in between hauling, storing, and/or securing various items: Trouble is brewing.
Finally all traces of the cribs were removed, Pink Princess and Purple Fairy placed in their respective places of honor, and the requisite pillows, blankets, and assorted stuffed beings collected. Estimated Time of Completion was approximately 10:00. Nature sort of took over for us at that point, and while there was a bit of consternation at the reality of the situation ("I want big bed"), sleep eventually slipped over our charges with only minimal maintenance on our part. We h ad accomplished our goal, and it seemed as if the transition would be relatively smooth.
And then came Saturday.
The girls have an internal clock that is really quite remarkable in accuracy, at least when it comes to waking up in the morning. I myself never last past 7:00am on weekend, usually more like 6, and the girls likewise seem set to 7:30 CST. It's a running joke at this point between myself and Jenn. A late night usually does little to affect this, and sure enough, there they were knocking on their door before the accustomed time, ready to get their day started.
Things were fine, if a bit tense, as Tired Little Girls did have a bit of an attitude. We figured an early afternoon nap would be possible, and tried laying them down in the big girl beds, to much protest. Several minutes later, we tried again. And then again. And yet again. Still the wailing protests continued, interspersed with bouts of either noisy play, knocking at the door, fighting, and singing. Were I a smarter man, I would have recorded the cacophony and had a hit Broadway play on my hands, but oh well, I hear the Tony Awards is all politics anyway.
Naptime jettisoned, we pushed through the afternoon/supper/evening, treading through the field of tripwires and landmines as best we could. Night-Night time produced similar drama, and in the end was only successful thanks to the various limitations of human child biology. You can't imagine the terror Kayla and Megan faced down in this suddenly evil concept called sleep. They needed a special blanket, not that special blanket of course, but the other special one, in the living room, come here Mommy I'll show you. No no no, not that blue one, the one that's red but I'm going to call it blue. But then what about the Special Baby, her pacifier is not on properly. Wait, did you put the pacifier on that baby? WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR, IT CLEARLY SHOULD BE OFF! And really, how can I be expected to go to sleep with all of these blankets in here?
And so it went throughout the weekend. The real kick in the teeth was when we took them to daycare on Monday, warning Miss Kelli about our tribulations, only to later receive the report that they napped for a good two hours and it was no big deal at all. Thanks for that, girls.
Things have evened out though, as they always do. We actually did get a naptime in this past weekend, and Night-Night Time is becoming less drama filled every successive night, as we slowly develop our routine.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Babies' Bedtime
The girls were playing with two of their dolls this evening. At one point I had Megan calling her yellow-haired doll "Baby Susie", and Kayla calling her plastic doll "Baby Mary". Somehow, though, "Baby Mary" became "Baby Susie" as well. I think it was some time after she had her doing somersaults on the floor.
They decided it was time for the doll babies to go to bed, so they trotted off to their room with their blankets and dolls. Kayla tucked "BabyMary Susie" in bed on the floor under one of her blankets. She wanted me to take a picture of her baby.
Kayla got herself ready by putting on her favorite "big tutu" -- inside out. It's a well-loved tutu, with no hem left. In fact, all the trim had to be cut off so she wouldn't trip over it. And she INSISTS it is supposed to be worn with the lining outside, and the tulle ruffles inside. She wears it nearly every night.
And then both girls asked me to take a picture of Loki.
And of course I obliged!
They decided it was time for the doll babies to go to bed, so they trotted off to their room with their blankets and dolls. Kayla tucked "Baby
Meanwhile, Megan wrapped her "Baby Susie" in a blanket, then sat in their rocker. You can see her doll's yellow hair outside the blanket, against Megan's yellow jammie shirt. She rocked back and forth and sang, "Jesus Loves Me" to her doll. I suspect this might be part of Granny's routine for tucking them in bed, but I haven't confirmed that. Too cute not to get a picture!
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Traveling
The past month has been a busy one, punctuated by a couple of trips.
The week of May 15th I was in Atlanta, GA, at a Microsoft conference, which of course meant that Jenn was a single mom for five days. She did great of course, but it's always a little bit draining when you're trying to wrangle both girls for an extended period by yourself. Compounding this was the fact I had to work most of the Saturday after I got back...it was definitely a long week.
The conference was at the Georgia World Congress Center, which is right downtown next to the Olympic Park, Georgia Dome, Phillips Arena (where the Atlanta Hawks play), Coca-Cola World and CNN's headquarters. It's really a pretty nice area; you can take a train right up from the airport, all kinds of hotels and restaurants within walking distance, couple of mall-type places, etc. Anyway, one of the other attractions in the area is an aquarium, and I decided I was going to hit it up at some point for some gifts for the girls.
I walked over the the place around 3 one day, and a couple of very unhelpful women told me there was no one available to take me to the gift shop, the exit to which I could see not 30 feet from where I stood, because "everyone was getting ready to leave for the day". The aquarium closed at 5 of course, I suppose I should have raised a fuss, but figured I had better things to worry about. As it turns out, walking back to the hotel I passed a children's museum, who were more than happy to let me drop into their gift shop and give them ~$50 for 10 minutes of work. I ended up with a stuffed Grover and Cookie Monster, which were well received, and occasionally fought over (mental note: GET IDENTICAL TOYS WHENEVER POSSIBLE!)
Our second trip happened last weekend, as Jenn and I made Memorial Weekend longer, and went up to KC for a couple days while the girls stayed with Granny and Grandpa. They had a wonderful time by all accounts, and in fact getting them out of Granny's house Sunday night was a little traumatic.
In another burst of development, we've seen the girls progress with the concept of talking to someone over the phone/video. While I was in Atlanta, Jenn and I tried to do a video call session between home and the hotel room. We were hampered by the hotels terrible internet being hammered by 500 or so geeks, but it was good enough to get a picture through for a while. Girls have done this with Granny a couple times as well, and usually they express mild interest at best, and are off to do something else quickly. Same for trying to talk to someone over the phone.
Then all of the sudden, we're calling them last Friday night after pulling into KC, and they're responding to questions, telling us about how they played on the swingset, saying bye-bye at the appropriate time, etc. During our KC trip we bought them a couple of toy phones from the Disney store, and yesterday evening I busted them out during a bout of fussiness-fueled desperation, and for several precious minutes they were having quiet conversations with Mommy or Grandma or Whomever, telling them they were fine and how they played at Ms. Kelli's. Just this evening as well, Mom called to tell me about the trouble my uncle Kevin's family is having with flooding up in South Dakota, and the girls conversed with Granny over speaker phone for a bit, like they had been doing it all their lives.
Jenn has commented several times recently as well about how much they seem to be growing up. Indeed, every morning on the drive over to daycare, the conversation becomes a little bit more coherent and relevant. Though, as an aside, a note to Kayla and Megan if and when they read this many years from now: Yes, there are birds, I see them too, you don't necessarily have to point out every one to me.
The week of May 15th I was in Atlanta, GA, at a Microsoft conference, which of course meant that Jenn was a single mom for five days. She did great of course, but it's always a little bit draining when you're trying to wrangle both girls for an extended period by yourself. Compounding this was the fact I had to work most of the Saturday after I got back...it was definitely a long week.
The conference was at the Georgia World Congress Center, which is right downtown next to the Olympic Park, Georgia Dome, Phillips Arena (where the Atlanta Hawks play), Coca-Cola World and CNN's headquarters. It's really a pretty nice area; you can take a train right up from the airport, all kinds of hotels and restaurants within walking distance, couple of mall-type places, etc. Anyway, one of the other attractions in the area is an aquarium, and I decided I was going to hit it up at some point for some gifts for the girls.
I walked over the the place around 3 one day, and a couple of very unhelpful women told me there was no one available to take me to the gift shop, the exit to which I could see not 30 feet from where I stood, because "everyone was getting ready to leave for the day". The aquarium closed at 5 of course, I suppose I should have raised a fuss, but figured I had better things to worry about. As it turns out, walking back to the hotel I passed a children's museum, who were more than happy to let me drop into their gift shop and give them ~$50 for 10 minutes of work. I ended up with a stuffed Grover and Cookie Monster, which were well received, and occasionally fought over (mental note: GET IDENTICAL TOYS WHENEVER POSSIBLE!)
Our second trip happened last weekend, as Jenn and I made Memorial Weekend longer, and went up to KC for a couple days while the girls stayed with Granny and Grandpa. They had a wonderful time by all accounts, and in fact getting them out of Granny's house Sunday night was a little traumatic.
In another burst of development, we've seen the girls progress with the concept of talking to someone over the phone/video. While I was in Atlanta, Jenn and I tried to do a video call session between home and the hotel room. We were hampered by the hotels terrible internet being hammered by 500 or so geeks, but it was good enough to get a picture through for a while. Girls have done this with Granny a couple times as well, and usually they express mild interest at best, and are off to do something else quickly. Same for trying to talk to someone over the phone.
Then all of the sudden, we're calling them last Friday night after pulling into KC, and they're responding to questions, telling us about how they played on the swingset, saying bye-bye at the appropriate time, etc. During our KC trip we bought them a couple of toy phones from the Disney store, and yesterday evening I busted them out during a bout of fussiness-fueled desperation, and for several precious minutes they were having quiet conversations with Mommy or Grandma or Whomever, telling them they were fine and how they played at Ms. Kelli's. Just this evening as well, Mom called to tell me about the trouble my uncle Kevin's family is having with flooding up in South Dakota, and the girls conversed with Granny over speaker phone for a bit, like they had been doing it all their lives.
Jenn has commented several times recently as well about how much they seem to be growing up. Indeed, every morning on the drive over to daycare, the conversation becomes a little bit more coherent and relevant. Though, as an aside, a note to Kayla and Megan if and when they read this many years from now: Yes, there are birds, I see them too, you don't necessarily have to point out every one to me.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Making Muppins
The girls love making muffins. Or as Megan calls it, "making muppins".
They both get on a step stool. Mommy measures, and let's them pour, stir, put out papers and spoon in the batter. They make a mess. Oh, my do they make a mess. But they're learning, having fun, and messes clean up!
So they aren't the prettiest muffins ever -- but give them time. The chefs are only 2 1/2 years old, you know!
They both get on a step stool. Mommy measures, and let's them pour, stir, put out papers and spoon in the batter. They make a mess. Oh, my do they make a mess. But they're learning, having fun, and messes clean up!
Kayla, Megan
Kayla, Megan
Kayla, Megan
Kayla's Pretty Dress
Kayla said, "Take picture of me in my pretty dress".....
..and so I did, while she put on a cheesy grin!
The latest trend is to wear a dress over their clothes. It makes for some interesting outfits around the house, that's for sure! Playing dress-up -- with their own clothes!
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