A Day Outside

The weather was beautiful today (low 80's) and the girls are finally healthy enough to spend some time outside.  So that is what we did:

1st bagels on the patio

planted seeds in the garden

naked by the swimming pool

naked driving the car

Paige playing "doggie" on Woolly's bed

teeter totter

Final BIG bed setup

It seems just like yesterday that Brian had one helper to put together a crib with...this is Paige helping him assemble Hailey's crib before Hailey was born...

Today he had two helpers to assemble Paige's BIG bed frame. 

Final set up.  Jumping on the bed. 

J-E-L-LO!

I went to Mom's Night Out with the playgroup tonight so I made sure to make Brian and the girls a nice dinner.  I even made dessert!  Ok, ok, it was just Jello, but it dawned on me as I served it to them that the girls had never had Jello before.  I think I've never made it because it doesn't have many calories or nutrients so I didn't see any benefit in making it for them.  Paige really enjoyed the wiggle, jiggle part of it and Brian showed them how the "slurp" it up.  Hailey didn't quite get the slurp concept because she kept spitting it out.  But they had fun with it nonetheless.  I even sang the old commercial tune to them:

"Watch it Wiggle, see it Jiggle, cool and fruity, Jello brand gelatin... of all desserts you'll love the one, that tastes so great and is such fun, make Jello, gelatin and Make some fun... J-E-L-L-O"

Brian wasn't impressed with my singing ability, but the girls giggled. 

BIG Bed

HUGE day in the Thurmond household today.  Paige got her BIG bed.  She has been in her crib since she was 3 months old.  She is now 43 months old...or 3 1/2 years.  Granted we took the front rail off her crib so it's been like a day bed for a while now, but today she crossed over to a real bed.  Her crib converts to a foot rail and head rail and fits a full size bed.  We went together on Monday to take advantage of the President's Day sales and laid on every bed.  It was delivered today.  Unfortunately Brian made a long day trip to Oregon and back today so he didn't get to put her bed frame together. So Paige is camping out in her room with just the mattress on the floor.  After it was delivered the girls jumped on it with the plastic on.  Paige picked out some sheets that a dear friend sent to me that have pink flowers on them.  So we put those on and they played with the iPad on it.  When it came time for story time, it was WONDERFUL for mama!  I had a bed to lay on and not the floor!  I've been sleeping on the floor next to her bed at story time and then if she wakes up in the middle of the night (which is every night).  She fell right to sleep after story and looked so teeny tiny in that BIG bed.  I hope she sleeps well and it lasts her through high school, however, from what I read mattresses only last 5-7 years these days. 

Jumping the plastic

iPad play

Ready for a story

Zzzzz.

Campaign Bus

We went to the library today to return books, hear a story & check out new books. Luckily we also caught the CSPAN campaign bus which is here for the Republican debate that will be held in Mesa. We got our pic in front of it!


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1st Shamrock Shakes

Brian and I were going out on a date night last Saturday so I got the girls McDonald's Happy Meals with Shamrock Shakes.  They missed out on them last year when we went on the actual St Patrick's Day to get them and they were out!  I had forgotten they are chocolate mint flavored.  The girls enjoyed them through the next day because Nanny (who came to care for them while were out) put them in the freezer.  A treat two days in a row!  Obviously, they both loved them. 

Tips for Sick Kiddos

Being an "experienced" mom now, I have a few tricks about taking care of sick kiddos that I thought I should write down for the girls to have when/if they themselves are in the same situation.  The girls have been sick with colds, coughs, fevers and earaches since last Thursday (today is the next Thursday) so it's fresh in my mind. 

1.  Cool Mist Humidifier.  Run it in the bedroom all night.  Buy the nice one, don't skimp on price. It helps to keep the snot, yes, I said snot, in the nose from getting crusty and then resulting in not being able to breath.  With it I have fewer middle of the night wake ups.  Usually only one. 
2.  The homeopathic meds do work.  Try them, especially for the infants who can't have any type of meds yet.  Of course, read the labels, but I've had a ton of luck with them.  From cold/cough to teething tabs.  They work.
3.  Don't go to the doctor right away.  Wait it out a few days to see if it's really necessary.  Because really, there is a TON of germs on the "sick side" of the waiting room & who wants to pay that copay if the doctor can't prescribe anything anyway?
4.  Naps are a must.  Rest helps to fight the "cooties."
5.  Couch forts, puzzles, coloring and of course couch/TV time are definites for cooped up sick kiddos.
6.  If the appetite is low, milk and formula help to fill the belly and provide nutrients.  You can put the medicine in the milk too if they won't take their meds.  Popsciles are BIG attractions too and get eaten up right away.  I make them from full strength juice. 
7.  Probiotics help a ton if antibiotics are prescribed.  They stop the diarrhea that always tends to result.  I put the probiotic powder in their drink.
8.  STAY HOME!  I actually took them out twice this week, just because Brian was out of town and I HAD to get stuff.  I think it made the illness last longer.  So just, STAY HOME.  There are more germs out there then what they already have and it just makes it worse...for EVERYONE.
9.  Lots of patience, understanding, snuggles and love. 
10.  Change sheets daily & sterilize nipples, pacifiers and sippie straws multiple times a day.  Wash the Snugglies too if you can get them away from the kiddos.  It kills the germs. 
11.  Offer, offer, offer fluids.  It helps to lower the fever and keep them hydrated.

These are just a few tips.  I know that when they are mamas themselves things will be different and science will be more advanced.  But I think a few of them listed are mainstays and will work no matter what time era it is.  May health be with you and your families my girls!

Valentine's Day 2012

I was soooo excited for this Valentine's day.  Both girls are old enough to know what is going on.  We handmade Valentine's for Paige's class...45 of them to be exact.  Her class was having a party with a Valentine Exchange and a Petting Zoo on campus and we had a party with playgroup.  It was going to be super fun...until...both came down with a cough and cold last Thursday which resulted in a pediatrician appointment TODAY! Ugh.  I was so disappointed. 

I did make them cupcakes the night before and had those and thier candy with heart plates and cups waiting for them on the kitchen table for the monirng.  We also took Paige's Valentine's to school, becuase really, I wasn't going to let those handmade things not get delivered.  But we quickly left school after explaining both were sick.  We headed to the pediatrician who said both had clear lungs but Hailey had a slight ear infection in her right ear.  Paige's ears were clear.  We came home and both napped most of the afternoon. Nanny came for dinner and we had a heart shaped pasta meal.  Nanny stayed to help put both to bed which was great because two sickie girls makes for two grumpy girls. 

It's hard to believe how much Hailey has grown over the year.  In this pic from last year it looks like she was not walking yet.  http://bandkstwogirls.blogspot.com/2011/02/valentines-day.html

Cupid's Delivery

VDay morning.  Cupcakes for Bfast!

Matching outfits. 
They will probably roll thier eyes at this one in a few years. 

Stuff Hailey is Doing

Just a few things about Hailey that I have been observing and meaning to write down:
1.  She knows most of her shapes.  Stars, hearts, square, circle.  Still working on triangle. 
2.  She is starting to identify colors.  Mostly everything is still "purple" but when you tell her the actual color she will repeat the correct name. 
3.  As I'm reading books to her, she is babbling along with me.  Of course we read the same books over and over and with those she will recite the actual words with me. 
4.  She can color with a crayon very well. 
5.  She is talking in complete sentences...well at least 4 words worth.  Very clear and understandable. 
6.  She chipped the same front tooth on the tile floor that Paige did.  I was very upset about that.  If I'd of known this about tile floors and kiddos who are learning to walk I wouldn't have gotten a house with all tile on the bottom level. 
7.  She loves to play with her babies.  She uses the doctor kit to examine them and then feeds them with a spoon and bowl after lining them all up against her changing table/dresser.  She then puts them to bed in their cradles with blankets.  It is one of the most adorable things I have ever seen. 
8.  She will cuddle with Paige and smack Paige.  She is her true sister. 
9.  She helped me empty the dishwasher tonight by putting the silverware in the drawer.  LOVED that!
10.  She LOVES to cuddle. 
She is such a joy to have in our life.  She's calm and easy going.  Although, she is extremely attached to me.  It's hard for anyone else to take care of her.  But I know she will grow out of that soon enough.  I'm so happy Brian and I made her.  Lots and lots of love. 

Dresses

Paige is really into wearing dresses right now.  It has to be a dress for sure to wear to school.  I've been able to get through the winter with putting leggings on underneath and it actually looks really cute.  The weather is starting to warm up so I didn't have her wear them today.  This is the dress she picked today (which is a hand-me-down from a dear childhood friend).  Paige then went into Hailey's closet to find a dress for her to wear.  This is the one she choose (which is also a hand-me down from a friend at work).  They looked so sweet that I asked for them to pose for a picture...this is what I got.  Can't ask for much more!  I think I'm going to enlarge it to have it framed. 

Superbowl 2012

We are so NOT sports fans in this household.  But we did try to make it a point to turn on the Superbowl, mostly for the commercials and the halftime show.  It was funny to notice how apparent it is that the girls do not watch much TV and what they do watch is on Netflix without commercials.  They really had no idea why I was so excited about them.  Most were not child appropriate and I found myself explaining lots about them when they started asking questions.  But we did make a fun event out of it my making pizza from scratch and having ice cream sundaes for dessert.  Their first!  Yum!

Watching the game!

Eating thier first sundaes!

Valentines

Ok, this post is going to make me seem like one of THOSE moms.  Yes, we hand made our Valentines this year.  I was going to order some super cute ones online that would have their picture on them.  But by the time that would be all said and done, it would have been upwards of $45.  So I talked myself out of that one.  Next, I looked at the boxed Valentines at the store.  They all had some sort of cartoon character associated with them.  I have made it a point so far to not have commercial things as part of their life.  Events like birthdays or Christmas have all been neutral and just based on normal kid stuff like cupcakes or ducks or butterflies or something neutral.  So I didn't spend the $1.99 for a box of 35 boxed Valentines.  That left me with making them.  So yes, the past few nights I have sat and cut out upwards of 30 Valentines (I still have more to do) and glued paper doilies to them.  I also printed and cut out another heart to glue on that says, "Happy Valentine's Day.  Love Paige" along with her picture.  (This way I got the pic on it too, for far less than $45.)  After that, I made it a project for the girls.  They applied foam heart/Valentine stickers and then today we did the glue and the glitter.  They are quiet cute IMO, but I am a bit biased.  I may get the rolling eyes of the other mothers at the Mommy & Me Valentine Exchange at Paige's school or at the party for playgroup.  But I have made it a rule to not care what other's think, espeically when I comes to how we raise our children.  So there!  :)  It was a fantastic craft for the girls to do and one that we all did together over several days.  Well worth the effort. 

My desk full of cut hearts and paper doilies

Applying Valentine stickers
(Yes, Hailey is dressed as a cat with a butterly hat.)

Gluing glitter

Positive Discipline

On Thursday night Paige's school had a Parent Education night and the subject was Positive Discipline.  I really wanted to go because I've been having such a hard time with what I call the "Witching Hour" from 4-6pm.  I think by then all of us are ready for a break from each other and are excited for Brian to get home.  At that time, Paige is tired an starts in with the whining.  And I don't want to hear it anymore so sometimes (ok, lots of times) I loose my patience.  I was hoping this class would help.  The corner stone of the class was to use the non-emotional approach (Let me tell you, by 5pm, I've got some emotions!) based on Dr. Glean Latham's book, "The Power of Positive Parenting" (which I immediately ordered from Amazon and I'm waiting for it's arrival).  The steps to this approach are:

• Observe & Evaluate first
• Calmly approach
• In a pleasant tone, give as little verbal direction as needed
• Allow situations to work themselves out whenever possible

Sounded simple enough!  They also talked about Family Expectations and how to set those and what to do when they are no met.  My only expectation at this point is to STOP THE WHINING!  Some great examples were given (and very humorous too I might add) about how to implement your expectations, which involved taking away a privilege.  Paige LOVES  to watch one show with Brian after bath and then go into bed to read her stories.  Knowing that, I decided that the consequence for whining would be no show after bath.  So on Friday, I told her that if she whined I would give her three warnings and if she got to number three there would be no show to watch after bath.  She got to number three super quick on Friday.  But she understood after bath that she would only read stories.  We limited it to four books.  There was no crying or being upset.  She knew what what happening and accepted it.  Today (Saturday), went WONDERFUL! She hardly whined at all.  And the couple times she did whine I just said. "Oh, I hear whining.  That's a warning."  She absolutely understood what I meant and stopped immediately.  I was so proud of her.  By 6:30pm she only had two warnings and I thought she would make it.  But unfortunately she whined upstairs as we were cleaning up (mostly because she was tired) so I had to take it away.  I felt bad, since I knew she was tired, but I couldn't go back on the consequence.  I really want her to learn.  She got upset, but after bath, knew she could only read books and did so gladly.  Having a pretty much whine free day was BLISS!  I'm excited for tomorrow.  I think she'll do really well. 
The class also discussed Time Outs and Building Self Esteem.  I really liked the suggestion about when your child brings you something that she did (like a colored picture) to get your approval, you instead ask, "Do you think you did a good job?"  Yes!  Ding!  Ding!  Of course that would build her self esteem, she doesn't need me or Brian to reassure her of the job she did, we want her to feel like she did well all on her own. 
In all, the class was about being consistent.  Which was really good for me.  Because in that "Witching Hour" I have been giving in to just stop the whining.  But hopefully just a few more days of practice, we will all be much happier!
Here's a few quotes that I really liked too:

• "As parents, we must realize that children are in a the process of whom they will become."
• "Guard your children's self-esteem with the same zeal with which you would guard their very lives!"
• "You can put a distraught child in time-out with as much love and tenderness as you would put a sleeping child into its crib."
• "Parenthood is a privilege.  Who knew that we as parents has more to learn and refine than possibly our children do?  Love your children unconditionally.  Enjoy every minute.  They are our greatest treasures."

I'm so glad I went and I'm glad to see a difference being made already.  I'll keep you updated!

Jumping Game

Today marked yet another milestone.  The girls are just growing too fast.  Paige said she wanted to go outside in the backyard.  So, she went and put on her socks and shoes, opened the back door and went outside.  She began playing immediately all by herself.  Brian and I both said how fast they were growing, but how much easier it is getting to raise them.  It's not constant helping and doing for anymore.  They are doing lots on their own.  After Hailey woke up from her nap, both played outside.  They invented this game of Paige asking Hailey to push her off the climber and falling, then Hailey followed by jumping down too.  They would giggle on the grass and then do it all over again.  Super cute. 

Paige getting ready to be pushed by Hailey

Hailey pushing Paige

Hailey jumping after

GIGGLES!  Ready to go again!

Library

I took the girls to the library today.  It's the first time Hailey has gone and Paige hasn't been since I was pregnant with Hailey.  It's nice now that Hailey is napping a bit later in the day, we can do more activities in the morning when both (and me) are more alert and oriented.  Anyway, the girls did great while I used the card catalog (that makes me sound old, I'm sure it's called something different now) on the computer and then went to find the books on the shelves.  Hailey is really into ballerina's right now.  She calls them, "rinas."  It's super cute.  So I looked for some children's books about ballerinas.  Came across the Belinda Ballerina series and the Pinkalicious series.  The Pinkalicious one is really cute but the Belinda one has more of a moral to tell.  I also checked out all the ones they pulled off the shelves, just to be nice to the librarian.  Needless to say, we came home with a ton of books.  But it made for a really nice afternoon because they both wanted to sit and read their new books.  Very quiet.  Nap time went very well too.  I think a trip to the library is going to be a once a week thing now.