Happy Nana's Day, 2011

Working hard, as she's wont to do, my mom's backyard has taken a backseat on the "to do" list. It's one of those things she'd really like to get done, but when prioritizing, it just doesn't seem to make it to the top of the list. So for Mother's Day, James, Seth, Chad, Robyn, two missionaries and I set about making it our priority. It was a few hours of trimming rose bushes, pulling weeds, mowing grass, etc... but the end results were phenomenal. There is still a LOT to do. It's a good-sized yard and requires a fair bit of upkeep, but it looks worlds better. Sometime next month, I intend to be back in that yard getting the next stage finished. Hopefully we can get the whole thing put together and get it back to the point that general upkeep is all the yard requires to look fabulous.

Porch Before:

Porch After:

Main Yard Before:

Main Yard After:

And, of course, the whole reason Nana wants the backyard looking fabulous is so it's clean and tidy enough for moments like this:

We finished off the day with some tasty barbecued ribs, beans, and corn on the cob (bought fresh from the farmer's market this morning). It was a busy day, but totally worth it. Oh, and spending all morning out in the sun has faded me hair a full two shades of blond lighter. Pretty sweet!

Oh, and we picked up my Mother's Day present/James's Father's Day present, so expect me to be totally distracted for the next week or two (again):


Happy mother's day, to the best mom out there (And happy Nana's day as well). :-)

Easter Afternoon

Easter ham with the fam. A nice way to end the day. (Yay, rhyming). Not having to cook, but still having a tasty meal? Score! Actually, I did bake a cheesecake. Mmm, yummy. My family dyed eggs. James and I had planned to do so, but the day got away from us yesterday, so we never got around to it. Shortly after we got there, Seth and Robyn "hid" them in the front yard. Then armed with a grocery bag and a toy bucket, the girls went on their very first egg hunt. For first-timers, they got the concept down really well.

Baby had to help:

Megan really got into it:

Cadence easily found the larger number of eggs (though Grandpa would point out ones whenever she couldn't find any):

Casualties of war. Cadence was so excited to go after one across the yard she didn't see the one right in front of her:

Showing off her booty:

When we attempted to take away the hard-boiled eggs, Cadence threw a fit. Since the plastic eggs had jellybeans inside, she wasn't willing to part with any eggs. Once Nana showed her what was inside the shell of the non-plastic ones, she wasn't so interested and contented herself with gobbling up jellybeans. The Easter eggs were quickly whipped up into hard-boiled eggs and served alongside the ham and potatoes. :-)

Easter Morning

I was not up until 2am putting the finishing touches on the last Easter dress. I was only up until 11, so :-P. And actually, I was only up that late because I didn't start on the finishing touches until after 9 (and had minor issues halfway through, so had to start over on one part). At last, they were finished and we were able to lay them out next to their Easter baskets for a nice photo finish.
I was in the kitchen turning the oven on when James let the girls out of their bedroom this morning. Cadence zeroed in on the new stuff on the couch and was happily investigating as I turned the corner. No coaxing needed. As soon as they realized there was chocolate in the foil-wrapped eggs, they lost all interest in everything else. Though Cadence has since become very possessive of her new roaring dinosaur flashlight and Megan added car sound effects to the lesson in elder's quorum thanks to her new car keys.

We enjoyed cinnamon rolls and the girls got into a bath (since we got home late and I didn't get around to it last night). Then they got all dolled up in their new dresses and new shoes and new hair clips. I grabbed my camera and attempted to get pictures of the dresses on the nice lawn outside the church building. In my head I envisioned adorable pictures of Cadence's cute grin and Megan's wrinkle-nosed smile. Alas, things did not go as I had hoped, but my kids are cute anyway.

Easter and lunch (not related)

So, I have Megan's Easter dress almost completed (zipper and sash are all that's left). I had planned to get as much done on Cadence's dress last weekend, but I discovered a new video game and immediately began slacking. So then I intended to buckle down and just get it done this weekend, but at the last minute, James's work needed him in all weekend (which is great, straight over time, yay) and I can't sew with both girls moving around. Therefore, I am behind.

But, in all reality, it doesn't take a lot of time. I'll just probably be up until 2am Sunday morning sewing zippers in. And if I don't stop playing this video game, I will be up until 2am Sunday morning sewing zippers in. Must.... focus...

I'm excited for Easter. I get to show off home-made dresses (because shrugging your shoulders and casually saying "Oh, I made it...", as if it were nothing special, when people ask where you got those adorable dresses is totally the main reason to make your kids' clothes). Plus, James and I had a long chat with the Easter bunny on Friday and I'm totally psyched about what he's bringing her for Easter. It is the perfect gift right now. It combines four of her favorite things into one toy. Megan's is a keeper too. :-) The Easter bunny is under strict instructions to keep it simple. One toy and a few treats. We don't want to distract from the real reason for Easter, after all.

But, we did get egg dye. Cadence will probably lose interested after the first two come out a different color, but oh well. Start traditions while they're young, right? And take lots of pictures for those one or two that she is interested in and claim she loved every moment of it.

Anyway, off I go. Got two girls to get dolled up for church and I've gotta check out how long this Spanish rice is going to take to cook. Before he knew he'd be working, James invited the missionaries over for lunch today (They gave him the calendar last week to make sure he signed us up for a dinner night, but he didn't realize that and handed it off without signing us up. I guess the missionaries came up all disappointed, so he extended the invitation then. I just hope they remember!) Seth, who graciously agreed to taking over James's class last minute when we realized James would have to work through church, will also be coming over to be our 18+ male so they can still come over today. Hoping James doesn't have to work too long, though, and that he'll be home waiting for us when we get home from church. It all depends on how long it takes to pull the machine apart and get it ready for it's trip to Houston.

A "Picture" of my Day

There's a new "tab" near the top of this page. After enjoying the 30 Day Picture challenge, some friends of mine suggested a new fun idea: Document your day with your camera and then post all the pictures to get a "picture" of our day.

So here's mine.

Perhaps a tad more eventful than a day that I don't have the van, but it's pretty typical for a day that I do have access to a car. Enjoy!

A random check-up

Since I hadn't heard any real definitive news from Megan's doctor about her iron levels and I was still a tad curious about her weight gain, I took her in for a random check-up. We had just switched her over to the same pediatrician as Cadence, so it was also a chance for him to get to meet her and her to meet him.

Anyway, I'm pleased to announce that Megan has put on a full pound in the past 6 weeks (19lbs 6oz, 31.9"). The doctor said it was good weight gain, but told me he didn't have the same concerns the previous doctor did over her weight. He pointed at her most recent weights on the growth chart and showed me that even though for the first 6 months she was between the 25th-50th percentile lines for weight, from 9 months on, though she was below the 5th percentile line, she was pretty consistent as to how far below it she was. He said that this was probably the growth curve she'll continue to grow along and that as long as she continues to stay on it, he's not concerned.

It was a nice feeling. I was not super concerned about Megan's weight when the other doctor gave me a hard time about it, her concerns were still tucked away in the back of my mind and I wondered if I was right in now worrying. So, it was nice to have a doctor that specializes in kids telling me everything really was okay.

As for her iron levels, he pulled them up and showed me how they'd improved (I'd already seen the numbers, but all I could interpret from that was that she was still technically anemic). Then he told me her anemia was mild at best and that the one point she'd gained was what was expected within a month. So we were right on track. He said to continue giving her the drops until her appointment in June, he'd retest then and call me with the results and instructions as to whether to continue the drops or not. So, I was happy to know the drops were doing what they needed to and I didn't need to stress over completely overhauling her diet to get more iron in her.

All in all, it was a good appointment. I'm glad I took her in, even though the doctor said coming in for the iron levels wasn't necessary, but he was glad that we got her weighed so he could strike "poor weight gain" off of her records for me. Now, according to her medical records, other than some mild (but improving!) anemia, she's all healthy.

What could it be?

Tune in later this month (around Easter Sunday or so) to find out! Time to see if I inherited that sewing gene, or if my children are doomed to store-bought clothes for their entire childhood.

Could they be any cuter?

Both Cadence and Megan have gone through social growth spurts. James and I have had several moments of looking at each other in shock and then busting up laughing. And I've had several moments of wanting to call him up and tell him yet another story.

For example, today, I told the girls to get on the couch for quiet time (which is really naptime, but we call it quiet time so Cadence doesn't realized I'm tricking her into taking a nap). Cadence immediately gathered up her blanket and Megan's blanket and went to rearrange the pillows on the couch. I have one pillow for each of them that is set on either end, but James tends to pile them together once he's home. Taz was laying on one and Cadence was getting quite upset that she couldn't move it. So I suggested she move Taz. She then picked Taz up, placed her on the floor, moved the pillow and patted the couch as she told Megan "get on the couch, Megan". Then she handed Megan her blanket, grabbed hers, and moved to her side of the couch to wait for the movie to start.

Megan's learning a dozen new words a day and she's getting very vocal about what she knows. Today I heard her meowing and when I looked she had opened up one of the books to the page with the cat on it and was pointing to the picture as she meowed. Yesterday, she also showed off her knowledge of eyes, ears, nose and mouth to her Grandpa. She would also point to his when asked.

Aunt Robyn's birthday was yesterday (she's 18!). Saturday, we went to the store to pick up her birthday present and let Cadence pick most of it out. I'd pick which display we'd look at and Cadence would pick the exact item. She picked the perfect pair of earrings for Robyn, and a set of bracelets, and insisted on the purple mickey mouse socks. She even picked out the chocolate and the bag. She knew it was for Aunt Robyn. It was too cute when James asked if we should get Aunt Robyn chocolate and Cadence responded "Okay, chocolate, Robyn". When he suggested chips, she shook her head and said "no, chocolate". About ten minutes later, when James again suggested chips she looked at him and said again: "No, chocolate, Robyn" and then went to the display with the chocolate and picked out a pack of Milky Ways to add to the gift bag (that she'd also picked out). When we went to pay, she insisted the cashier "give it back" and we had to dig out the bag and all the presents to give back to Cadence so she could carry it. She refused to let Aunt Robyn's present out of her care.

Megan's just... adorable. I have no anecdotes off the top of my head. She's just so stinking cute. Even when she's mad and throwing a fit, she's so adorable it's a battle to keep from busting up laughing. She's got a temper, too. Not quite as volatile as her sister's, but she's just as stubborn. More so in some ways. She's so smart. It's scary how smart they are at this age. It seems every day she has a dozen new words to use. I was stunned when I pulled out a banana for their breakfast and she jumped up and down in her seat and said "nana!" It's not just words, either. She understands so much more and is getting so good at communicating with her gestures. I almost have to remember to encourage her to use words, because I usually understand exactly what she wants from her gestures. She's very clear in what she wants (and doesn't want).

The two of them have fought a bit more, now that they're both showing their stubborn sides and now that they both "want" something at the same time. We've been smoothing it over, mostly working on Cadence not taking things from Megan and telling Megan "no" when she decides she wants whatever Cadence has. Honestly, that problem isn't as bad as it was a few weeks ago, so I think it's working. *knock on wood*

Megan's talking

(Playing in the rain. Even though they were both ice cold, they both shrieked a protest as we dragged them back inside)

Several times I find myself overlooking Megan's milestones. It's not because I just don't notice, I just don't stop and think "hey, that's new and cool".

But she is most definitely a toddler to her fingertips. She's begun a bit of a vocabulary explosion. I forgot about this, how quickly they pick up new words. Just today she was eagerly asking for a "duh, duh" in the bath and it took me a moment to realized she had learned the word "duck" at some unknown point, undoubtedly from her sister. Shortly after that, she pointed to the spot between her mouth and her nose and said "nose", which then prompted me pointing to different body parts and saying the word. By the end of her bath she'd learned to point to her eyes, ears, mouth and nose. And as always she knows where her belly is.

She's also picked up "book", though that one took me a moment as well. And when I handed her a dried out wipe instead (since they like to take them out and scatter them), she turned it over in her hands then wiped at her mouth with it and handed it back to me. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or just sweep her up and cover her sweet face in kisses. Since it was technically bedtime, I refrained from both.

She follows directions really well. Though now that she knows the word "no", she often protests a bit. But she doesn't just use the word without meaning. She knows what that word means and if we ask if she wants something or if we offer her something she doesn't want, she'll shake her head and say "no". Her yes is a grunt and a bounce, so we're still working on that word.

Every night she refuses to settle down for story time. She's either trying to get to the toys and grinning at me when I tell her to come sit back down (she has the cutest "I'm not going to listen to you, come and get me" grin ever), or she's climbing all over me wanting to point to the pictures and give me her made-up word. She meows at cats and repeats everything Cadence says during story time. However, once I say "the end", she promptly stops what she's doing and folds her arms for the bedtime prayer. Once prayer's over she runs over to her bed and waits for me to tuck her in. She rarely stays laying down, but she at least waits for me to spread her blanket over her before she starts her somersaults.

She has her little routines. For example, she's fine at dinner until I get up and walk past her, at which point she wants down and in my lap. After every meal she has to bring her cup with her, even if the thing's empty. Every night after bath, I get her out first and get her dressed, then leave the towel out while I go get Cadence, and every single time, Megan lays down in the middle of the towel and just grins like a little stinker while Cadence shrieks in protest. First thing in the morning, she demands snuggle time. It doesn't matter whether she was up early, or late, or if we just finished dropping James off. If I don't sit on the couch and cuddle with her for a few minutes she will not leave me be until I do.

I say it over and over again, but I can't believe I ever thought she'd pale in comparison to her high-spirited sister. I love this little girl so much and in so many different ways. I love her for all the things she has in common with her sister and I love her for all the many ways she's different. I thought I was blessed to have someone as sweet as Cadence, but I'm doubly blessed to have Megan thrown into the mix as well. Triple blessed, even, because watching them together, even with all the screaming and fighting, just melts my heart.

The house that dad built

A few weeks ago, James woke up so sore that he actually had to leave work after only being there an hour. I promptly sat down and ordered the memory pad that had been recommended to me when I first began looking into the idea. After two calls to customer service and 3 weeks, it finally arrived last Friday.

The girls thought the big fluffy thing on top of our bed was awesome, but they quickly lost interest once it was tucked under the sheet and our bed looked the same to them (nevermind the fact that it was now 4 inches taller...)

Their interest quickly transferred to the box that it came in. James offered to throw it out that night, but I decided we could let them keep it until it fell apart. Saturday, James flipped open the pocketknife that he pretty much always has on hand, and carved out "windows" and a door. The girls were in love and spent the rest of the evening ducking in and out of the door and peeking at us through the windows. It now has it's own place in their room and will probably remain there until it begins to fall apart.

Maybe I'll take them outside and let them fingerpaint it...