This weekend Maura went camping with my parents. She has been gone since around noon on Friday. I have talked to her and my parents a few times, sounds like they are having a ball.You know who else is having a ball? Maggie.
Usually Maggie is a little shy when she goes somewhere new or sees new people (or sometimes even people she sees all the time). Sean and I learned that it may just be that she has her big sister to blame. Maggie was great this weekend. Her tantrums were cut in half. She was so funny and so outgoing. We went to my Aunt Therese's house yesterday. Before we went I was thinking about how long it would take Maggie to get off my lap and be comfortable. Well, I was shocked. She did her usual commentary in the car on the way to Delaware, and really never stopped. She was happy to see everyone; made herself comfy, especially in the pool, and was showing Gabriella (whose g-mom's house it is) all around. Even "sharing" her own toys with her. I loved it.
She did say she missed her, eventually, but on Sunday when I asked her if she missed Mo. She said, "No, not really." I am glad we had the time to see Mags shine for a few days.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
What a weekend...
I recently heard someone refer to a "stay-cation." A vacation where you do not necessarily leave town, but do lots of cool stuff with home as your homebase. I think our weekend would qualify as that.
On Friday we went to the zoo. Now a day at the zoo is not so exciting for my girls, as they do that all the time, but this was a night. Tim's firm rented the zoo for the night. It is great. All the little "extras" (face painting, swan rides, pony rides) were included. Maura, literally, would get off the pony at the exit, run 20 feet to the entrance, beating the pony there, and hop on again. She did this for about 20 minutes. Live it up, because momma ain't paying $5.00 for you to go 50 yards on a pony. Mags did it around 3 times, but her love for the ride was not quite as strong, although she really looked like a natural on the horse. Sue could not get over it.
The girls got their faces painted. Mags wanted to be a butterfly. It was awesome. B got some flowers on her cheek. Maura wanted to be spider man??? I tried to talk her out of it... a princess, a butterfly, a bunny? Nope, she wanted spiderman. The girl did "spidergirl" for her. It was pink and black with some sparkles. She LOVED it. She also loved telling people she was a girl spider man. We stayed till around 8:30 and everyone did great 94% of the time. B wants to move and crawl at all times. being that the zoo floor is probably not the best place for her to crawl around, she was a little restless.
Sunday we went to a minor league Phillies games. It was fun, again, not so much for B, as baseball bleachers are not the best place to crawl around. Maggie was thrilled to climb up the moonbounce slide, but not as thrilled to come down. Sean had to go up and rescue her. We made it through the whole game with no ice cream or treats. i am not sure who was more disappointed, the girls or mommy!
Monday, Sean had off from work (one day between jobs) and we went to Dutch Wonderland. I love it there. It is clean, the rides are perfect for their age, and lots of shade. Luckily, my mom offered to watch b while we went (Amusement park grounds are also not the best place for little ones to crawl... really where is?). We stayed until about 3:30 and with just minor conflicts (Sean telling mo to tell them she was 2 if they asked... she was not happy about this), all was great! The girls had fun together, and we had fun watching them have fun. This day ended with ice cream. That made all us girls happy. Mags was asleep in about 10 minutes, Maura watched Frosty AGAIN, and b had a great time with Oba. Overall a perfect weekend. Back to the "grind" today. Thank goodness it is a short week... and so is next week. 4th of July!
On Friday we went to the zoo. Now a day at the zoo is not so exciting for my girls, as they do that all the time, but this was a night. Tim's firm rented the zoo for the night. It is great. All the little "extras" (face painting, swan rides, pony rides) were included. Maura, literally, would get off the pony at the exit, run 20 feet to the entrance, beating the pony there, and hop on again. She did this for about 20 minutes. Live it up, because momma ain't paying $5.00 for you to go 50 yards on a pony. Mags did it around 3 times, but her love for the ride was not quite as strong, although she really looked like a natural on the horse. Sue could not get over it.
The girls got their faces painted. Mags wanted to be a butterfly. It was awesome. B got some flowers on her cheek. Maura wanted to be spider man??? I tried to talk her out of it... a princess, a butterfly, a bunny? Nope, she wanted spiderman. The girl did "spidergirl" for her. It was pink and black with some sparkles. She LOVED it. She also loved telling people she was a girl spider man. We stayed till around 8:30 and everyone did great 94% of the time. B wants to move and crawl at all times. being that the zoo floor is probably not the best place for her to crawl around, she was a little restless.
Sunday we went to a minor league Phillies games. It was fun, again, not so much for B, as baseball bleachers are not the best place to crawl around. Maggie was thrilled to climb up the moonbounce slide, but not as thrilled to come down. Sean had to go up and rescue her. We made it through the whole game with no ice cream or treats. i am not sure who was more disappointed, the girls or mommy!
Monday, Sean had off from work (one day between jobs) and we went to Dutch Wonderland. I love it there. It is clean, the rides are perfect for their age, and lots of shade. Luckily, my mom offered to watch b while we went (Amusement park grounds are also not the best place for little ones to crawl... really where is?). We stayed until about 3:30 and with just minor conflicts (Sean telling mo to tell them she was 2 if they asked... she was not happy about this), all was great! The girls had fun together, and we had fun watching them have fun. This day ended with ice cream. That made all us girls happy. Mags was asleep in about 10 minutes, Maura watched Frosty AGAIN, and b had a great time with Oba. Overall a perfect weekend. Back to the "grind" today. Thank goodness it is a short week... and so is next week. 4th of July!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Not to brag, but...
My girls are doing awesome at swim lessons. As I said before, the most important (for my own sensibility) thing is that they are not crying/screaming/grabbing etc. at drop off. They willingly go to their lessons. But I will tell you what, they are pretty darn good in the water too.
Maura has been jumping off the side (with either a little "push" from a teacher, or holding on to one hand of her teacher.. who promptly lets her go and fend for herself) and swimming to side for a while now. Today she jumped in a couple of times all by herself. That was a major fear of hers. Way to go Mo!! She is so good at swimming right back to the top and over to the side.
Yesterday, Maggie started jumping off the side and swimming to the top and side by herself... She is only 2!!! Her first jump was quite comical, as she tried to lay on the floor to get away from her coach but rolled right off the side, down a foot to the lower floor. I saw another coach go over to "help" her. I thought he might comfort her/talk to her/see how she was. He just dropped her in the water. I guess after that, she figured it would be easier to do it herself. Mags is the only on in her class doing the jump, so I know it is not that typical. Did I mention the side is about 2-3 feet above the water line? I definitely would not have done that at Mags or Mo's age. I was a bit of a wimp when it came to swimming and getting my face wet. Still am.
And poor B, not the most fun way to spend your morning. She just wants to crawl around and move, but the wet, dirty bleacher floors is not the ideal place to be. She will be very happy when this whole thing is over. I must admit, I will be a little happy too. The drive and everyday-ness of it was a bit much. I cannot imagine when the girls go to school everyday. I do not know if I have it in me. Tomorrow they get their "report cards" to see if they pass or not. We'll see!!
Maura has been jumping off the side (with either a little "push" from a teacher, or holding on to one hand of her teacher.. who promptly lets her go and fend for herself) and swimming to side for a while now. Today she jumped in a couple of times all by herself. That was a major fear of hers. Way to go Mo!! She is so good at swimming right back to the top and over to the side.
Yesterday, Maggie started jumping off the side and swimming to the top and side by herself... She is only 2!!! Her first jump was quite comical, as she tried to lay on the floor to get away from her coach but rolled right off the side, down a foot to the lower floor. I saw another coach go over to "help" her. I thought he might comfort her/talk to her/see how she was. He just dropped her in the water. I guess after that, she figured it would be easier to do it herself. Mags is the only on in her class doing the jump, so I know it is not that typical. Did I mention the side is about 2-3 feet above the water line? I definitely would not have done that at Mags or Mo's age. I was a bit of a wimp when it came to swimming and getting my face wet. Still am.
And poor B, not the most fun way to spend your morning. She just wants to crawl around and move, but the wet, dirty bleacher floors is not the ideal place to be. She will be very happy when this whole thing is over. I must admit, I will be a little happy too. The drive and everyday-ness of it was a bit much. I cannot imagine when the girls go to school everyday. I do not know if I have it in me. Tomorrow they get their "report cards" to see if they pass or not. We'll see!!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Snaggle tooth
B finally got a top tooth. Unfortunately it is not one of her two center teeth. It is her eye tooth. Not only was it painful (for everyone) coming in, I would imagine it looks pretty funny. I have to imagine it, because B will NOT let me look at it, and her top lip never goes anywhere, so the only way I know she has it is by touch.
Happy fathers Day, Dad.
On Sunday morning, Maura walked into our room at 8:15 am, (thanks for sleeping in) and the first thing she said was "Happy Fathers Day, Dad." No prompting. No reminders. No bribing. I was impressed.
Swim Baby Swim
Swim Boot Camp is half way through. Let me say it is like going to watch a little miracle happen every day. The girls started off with zero swimming skills. Maura had just started to put her face "under" water without crying. Maggie was more of a dare devil, but had no "swimming" abilities.
Maura now jumps off the side (holding one hand of her instructor, who promptly lets go) goes under, touches bottom, bobs back up and swims to the side. When they "swim" in this class, they float on their backs. Maura also gets flipped, picked up and dropped and dunked by her teacher the whole time, and just bobs back to her back and keeps on floating.
Maggie can "float" on her own both lengths of the pool. The teacher said she is doing great. By watching the other 2 year olds in the class, I can tell she is really progressing.
The best part is, they are not crying at all when I drop them off. All around them there are kids crying and screaming, and they have managed to "be brave" and make it through with no tears (there were tears for a few days with Maggie in the beginning). I was a little nervous this class would prove to be a waste of time and once again I got "peer pressured" into doing something, but I totally think it was worth while (and worth the money).
Maura now jumps off the side (holding one hand of her instructor, who promptly lets go) goes under, touches bottom, bobs back up and swims to the side. When they "swim" in this class, they float on their backs. Maura also gets flipped, picked up and dropped and dunked by her teacher the whole time, and just bobs back to her back and keeps on floating.
Maggie can "float" on her own both lengths of the pool. The teacher said she is doing great. By watching the other 2 year olds in the class, I can tell she is really progressing.
The best part is, they are not crying at all when I drop them off. All around them there are kids crying and screaming, and they have managed to "be brave" and make it through with no tears (there were tears for a few days with Maggie in the beginning). I was a little nervous this class would prove to be a waste of time and once again I got "peer pressured" into doing something, but I totally think it was worth while (and worth the money).
Monday, June 9, 2008
Quite the Entertainer
B is quite the entertainer. She loves attention, especially applause! While Sue's sisters were in town this weekend she was the hit of the show. They would say "B is so big". She would throw her hands up and smile. She would them look around at everyone to make sure they were looking at her, and they were giving her the proper applause and cheers. If you weren't excited enough, she kind of just looked at you until you acted appropriately. She was doing "frog" and "dog" in baby signs. She also very clearly did milk at dinner when she had eaten all her food. When I brought in her milk, she was very happy.
She is quite the cutie. Always smiling, pulling up an everything, and taking steps behind the walker. What a big girl...
Applause please!
She is quite the cutie. Always smiling, pulling up an everything, and taking steps behind the walker. What a big girl...
Applause please!
Swim Boot Camp
M & M started swim boot camp today. We had some issues getting ready this morning when I told them they had to wear swim diapers. (They require all 2 and 3 year olds to wear them regardless of "how potty trained they are") Mo has not worn diapers in almost two years. Mags has only been out for a few months and still wears pull ups to bed, but either way, neither of them were happy with the prospect of putting on a diaper this morning. I said they could just wear their suits and see what they said. Luckily, they were so distracted by the big pool and all the people when we got there that I could get them in them.
There were lots of kids, mostly beginners, ready to learn how to "float." Some were crying in the bleachers even before the instructor started talking. I was prepared for pure chaos, anything less would have been a pleasant surprise.
Well, I was surprised. The girls did great. They both walked away with the instructor happy. They were pretty far away, I could not really see them. When they came back Mag's teacher said she cried only a little bit. The other three kids in her group were crying presently. Maura's teacher said she did great. She said Maura was really funny, and she loved her. No crying from her at all.
All that is great. Now I just have to convince them that it is fun for the next nine days!
There were lots of kids, mostly beginners, ready to learn how to "float." Some were crying in the bleachers even before the instructor started talking. I was prepared for pure chaos, anything less would have been a pleasant surprise.
Well, I was surprised. The girls did great. They both walked away with the instructor happy. They were pretty far away, I could not really see them. When they came back Mag's teacher said she cried only a little bit. The other three kids in her group were crying presently. Maura's teacher said she did great. She said Maura was really funny, and she loved her. No crying from her at all.
All that is great. Now I just have to convince them that it is fun for the next nine days!
A hot, but fun weekend.
We had a busy, but very fun weekend. It totally wore the girls out. At this moment, Mags and B are asleep and Mo is watching Frosty (trying to stay mentally cool on this HOT day). It has been in the 90s the last three days, so playing outside has not been too fun. The girls really do not seem to mind it, but Mommy sure does.
We went to Arlington this weekend for Caitlin's 3rd b-day. The kids had a blast. They really love getting together with their cousins. They play so well together too, which makes life a lot easier. Sunday Sean took the girls to the pool by himself (all three). Then Mo joined Mimi and her sisters for lunch and shopping. I was a little nervous when I heard; I did not want her to ruin their nice day. Apparently she did great. She even found a pair of pink high heels for me in the Polka Dot store!
At one point someone rolled down the window in the car.
Maura said from the back of the van, "My Daddy rolls down the window when he toots."
Mimi asked,"Does he do that a lot?"
Maura replies, "Yes"
Mimi says, "You'll have to tell him to stop."
Maura, "But it makes him happy."
Well, you gotta do what makes you happy!
We went to Arlington this weekend for Caitlin's 3rd b-day. The kids had a blast. They really love getting together with their cousins. They play so well together too, which makes life a lot easier. Sunday Sean took the girls to the pool by himself (all three). Then Mo joined Mimi and her sisters for lunch and shopping. I was a little nervous when I heard; I did not want her to ruin their nice day. Apparently she did great. She even found a pair of pink high heels for me in the Polka Dot store!
At one point someone rolled down the window in the car.
Maura said from the back of the van, "My Daddy rolls down the window when he toots."
Mimi asked,"Does he do that a lot?"
Maura replies, "Yes"
Mimi says, "You'll have to tell him to stop."
Maura, "But it makes him happy."
Well, you gotta do what makes you happy!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
It is paying off...
Today Mags had a friend over to play (Eva). They were playing Hullabaloo (which is funny in itself because you need to get on a shape and a color when the little voice tells you to. mags only knows colors and Eva does not know either yet... funny to watch them "play" the game.). Mags was beckoning me from the other room, because now she wanted to move on to Carribou. By the time I had gotten in there, they had cleaned up Hullabaloo and were putting it away. now, this may not seem like a big deal to many, but I feel like I have heard my self say "you have to clean up one toy before you get out the next" 1,000,000 times. I have also seen the backs of my sweet pumpkins walking away from me, leaving me to cleaning up, or engage in a battle.
So, it is finally paying off. They are hearing me. Now, this may not be ALL good news, because that means 9 times out of 10, they are hearing me and CHOOSING not to listen. Oh well, just like little B, one step at a time!
So, it is finally paying off. They are hearing me. Now, this may not be ALL good news, because that means 9 times out of 10, they are hearing me and CHOOSING not to listen. Oh well, just like little B, one step at a time!
Stepping up... and out.
That's right. B is officially doing the stairs. We were at the zoo yesterday, and I let her crawl around in the playhouse. I looked away for a minute, and she was at the top of five big steps and on her way to the bee hive. I had to ask my friend that was with me if she put her up there or if B did it on her own. On her own. This is a whole new ball game!
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