First Haircut

Most children have their first haircut during their first year of life. Not my kids. Kaitlyn just "achieved" that milestone this week. She never really needed one and when she finally did she didn't want one; was afraid and I didn't want to traumatize her too much. I took her with me about a year ago to see what it's like but she wasn't quite ready. We've talked about it the past month or so and she finally decided it would be OK. She was so excited and chatted with Debra the whole time. What a difference it made with her hair. But she didn't lose any of her curls. Guess they're not just baby curls. hehehe She ended up having about 2 inches cut off. I saved some for her baby book.





Here she is the next day at her school Christmas party. She is concentrating on putting beads on a pipe cleaner to make a candy cane. It always helps to stick out your tongue a little.

Christmas Program

Last Sunday night was our Christmas program at church. Before the "real" show began, the 3-5 yr. olds sang 2 songs. Here are my 2 children: One is singing her little heart out and the other is silently saying "you can make me stand here but I'm NOT going to sing!" Can you guess who is saying that??



I know what you're thinking John. She is not picking at her fingers!

The first thing Renee said to me when they were done was "I don't want to do that again." Really? I thought you liked it. At least she didn't scream or walk off the stage. Could have been worse!

Pucker Up

I meant to include this one from yesterday.

Pucker Up

The girls were playing so nicely together this afternoon. Good thing, too, because I spent most of the afternoon on the couch. Last night my throat started hurting and I never got to sleep until close to 3. (I'm blaming the raspberry chai from Jitter's). So needless to say, I was exhausted today, my throat was still killing me and my whole body ached.

At one point in my dozing, Renee woke me up to show me what they were up to. All I can say is "thank goodness they're washable"!!! (The children and the markers).





Kaitlyn reserved her coloring for her knees but Renee went all out, covering her shins, both sides of her feet and hands. The lips are what really got me. I quickly grabbed the camera, took a few shots and then marched them up to the tub. When Dirk got home a little before 5 they were both in their pajammas.

Dirk was trying to get some cute pictures of the girls for our Christmas card this year. Here are a few possibilities.








They were so excited about the snow on the ground. They even attempted doing snow angels. They turned out more like leaf angels. But they had fun.

They love wearing their "twin dresses" from Amy's wedding. Last year they touched the top of their shoes. This year they're tea length but they don't care. They wore them all day on Sunday.

Reading level

I saw this on another blog I frequent. Chek it out. You can find out the reading level of your blog. I feel smart........her reading level was only junior high. She has 3 kids.....must be that 3rd. child turned her brain to mush.

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Volunteering

I have to tell this story before I forget it. Last Tuesday I volunteered in Kaitlyn's class. I had not arranged for anyone to watch Renee so I took her with me. I was hoping that was OK. She was actually pretty good but stayed pretty close to me. Kaitlyn, on the otherhand, could have cared less that I was there. She did her own thing. (Personally, I was happy about that. I remember having parents in my classroom and their kids were always hanging on them and it was so hard to pry them off of Mommy's side.)

I cut some things out for the children to use for their craft. Renee helped Mrs. Vicki put them at the tables. Later she helped picked out the snack and passed that out too. The funniest thing happened towards the end of the class. The letter for the week was "i" and the kids had made ice cream cones for their craft. They were all sitting on the rug for their last circle time and this time Renee was right up front next to Kaitlyn. Miss Becca called on each student and asked them what their favorite ice cream flavor is. When she finished, Renee stood up and started running to the back of the class, crying "Mommy, she didn't say MY name!" Poor little thing. Miss Becca quickly apologized and asked what her favorite is. By this time her head was buried in my shoulder but she quickly recovered and told her chocolate and returned to Kaitlyn's side. She was, afterall, a part of the class, at least for one day.

Tomorrow is Kaitlyn's VIP day at school. She has been looking forward to this for at least 2 weeks, planning what she would take for show-and-tell. All weekend she has told me she can't wait for her VIP day. I guess she really does believe it's "very important".

On a final note, way to go Brett and the Messiah Falcons!! You are off to Disney World and the Final Four for the zillionth time in a row. You guys ROCK!! I guess that means we'll we watching the CBS program "The Road to the Final Four" with great interest yet again this year. We're really proud of you!

Frick or Freat

As you all know, Wednesday was Halloween. Kaitlyn had her party at school and the parents were invited to come back for it. (Thank you Becca.) Last year Kaitlyn wanted to be a fairy and this year was no different. She was perfectly content to wear her glitter skirt and wings from the dollar store. Yes, I'm a big spender, I know. Even seeing her friends in cute "real" costumes didn't faze her. She was excited to wear her pumpkin shirt from Amy and John and her wings. Miss Vicki fixed Renee a plate a goodies and they shared a chair and looked like they actually liked each other.

The highlight of the day, of course, came after supper. We had an old Ziegler traditional Halloween supper of pancakes and then the girls got their "costumes" on. Dirk took them to about 10 houses while I stayed home to pass out the candy. We had maybe 15 kids, and they were done by 7:30. Dirk and the girls never got home until close to 8:30. Smart planning on my part, huh??? Renee wore her little pink princess dress-up outfit. (She wears that at least 5 times a week.) She was excited to go "frick or freating" As soon as they got home, Kaitlyn dumped out her candy and counted it. "Mommy, I have 24 peices!"



I got my hair all cut off and am going to send my 10" ponytails to Locks of Love in the next day or 2. I like the new do and Kaitlyn loves it. She has told me many times that she really likes it.



When I made pancakes the other night I tried a new recipe. They were pumpkin pancakes and they were really good.

Random "F"oughts

I've given up trying to post pictures. I thought maybe I could put some on a thumbdrive and load them off the laptop but that didn't work either. It's totally frustrating me.....I can usually figure things out.

We are in the process of having our house painted. It's still going to be white but no more green shutters. They will be blue (oh surprise!) to match the trim on our shed. For those of you who don't know me real well, blue is my favorite color and there are 5 rooms in our house that are blue: the master bedroom/bath, the guest room, the girl's bathroom and the kitchen. The previous owner loved green, thus the green shutters.

The girls continue to keep me on my toes. Renee's behaviour has mellowed a bit this past month. AMEN!! I strongly believe in the power of prayer. I think my reaction to her has changed a lot too. She hasn't had me in tears for several weeks. In fact, I really enjoy my mornings with her while Kaitlyn is in school. She loves to play with playdough and we do that just about every day. She is a mama's girl at bedtime, unless she knows I won't be home. She will ask me, "Do you have a party tonight?" If I do, she is so good about hugging and kissing me goodbye and that's that. Kaitlyn still likes to do the cling-on thing, complete with dramatic tears. "I just love you so much I don't want you to go!"

Kaitlyn continues to love school. Miss Becca is all-knowing and poor Mom is NOT. One day she told me about something she learned at school.
K: Mommy, if you put a t and h together they make the "fa" sound.
B: You mean "th". You have to stick your tongue out a little. It's called a tongue cooler because you're blowing on your tongue. (I was so proud of myself for remembering some of my multi-sensory reading stuff.)
K: No Mom, It makes the "fa" sound. Samanfa has one in her name.
B: No honey, it's SamanTHa.
K: How do you know?
B: Because I taught second grade for 12 years and I know.
K: Well, you've been home for a long time. Miss Becca said it's "fa".

There you have it. I know nofing!!

Kaitlyn Update and Message at Midnight

Kaitlyn had her 5 yr. check-up last week. She gained 4 lbs. in the year too, just like Renee. She's up to 35 lbs. which is the 20th. percentile. She grew 3.5 inches and is in the 64th. percentile for height.

Last night I was indulging in one of my guilty pleasures: blog-stalking. I read a few from family members, friends and aquaintances and a few of complete strangers. One girl just gave birth to quads a month ago. Another is a stay-at-home Cnristian mom to 3. I love reading all the great writing styles. I have never been much of a writer. In fact, I hate to write. I struggled with that as a teacher because I didn't want my students to pick up on my aversion to writing. My father was an English teacher for close to 30 years but I did not inherit any of his ability. All of my siblings got it and there wasn't anything left for me. I am pretty good at the mechanics of writing though. Things like spelling, grammar, etc.

When I went in to tell Kaitlyn goodnight before heading up to my room, she woke up briefly. She stretched out her little arm to touch me. Here's our brief conversation.
K: Hi Mommy. You know what?
B: What Sweetie?
K: I love you. Then she went back to sleep with a smile on her face. Completely made my day!!!!

Look for some pictures soon.

She's on the chart!

Christine finally updated her blog so I better get on it too. Renee had her 3 yr. check-up this week. She was great about getting on the scale and letting them listen to her heart, etc. She weighed in at a whopping 26 lbs!! That's a gain of only 4 lbs. in a year. (I can gain that over Thanksgiving dinner!) But she is now on the weight chart, in the 8th. percentile. Height-wise, she grew 4" and is now in the 67th. percentile.

Kaitlyn absolutely loves school. However, she gets a nasty attitude almost everyday on the way home, complaining how she wants to stay all day. The fighting between them starts almost immediately.......drives me insane! She also started dance lessons and loves that too. There are only 2 kids in her class, counting her. The other little girl is only 3 (much to Renee's displeasure) and comes to class dressed in a little tutu outfit. Kaitlyn is lucky if she has sweats. But I'm sure the other little girl doesn't have the natural ability that Kait has. ☺

Kaitlyn's birthday is next Wed. Dirk has Open House that night so we're not celebrating until the following night. We'll be taking the plunge and going to Chuck-E-Cheese for the games, then to McDonald's and back home for cake. She's invited David and Samantha, her nursery school buddies. When I asked her about inviting Joshua she told me he knew all about Chuck-E-Cheese but she didn't think the other kids did so she wanted to take them instead. Renee is convinced that David and Daniel will be going with her.

I judge each day by how many meltdowns Renee and I have. We have such a rollercoaster relationship. I love when she falls asleep near me and I'm reminded that she can be very affectionate and loving. There are some days she has me in tears more than once. (Those new birth control pills don't help my emotions any!!) When she's by herself, she plays very well. Kaitlyn does too. But the 2 of them together can be dangerous. You never know what will set Renee off on a tantrum or how she will lash out. Pinching, hitting, biting kicking........any or all of the above. I just keep praying that someday (soon please) she'll outgrow this stage and the 2 of them will be best friends.

I have not been able to post any pictures from my mac. Any suggestions?

End of Summer

I have tried several times to post some of my favorite pictures from the summer but for some reason they won't upload. (Is anyone else having trouble upleading pictures??) So you'll have to settle for some cute quotes.

Sunday night at the lake we were heading up to the tabernacle. Dirk was already at the gazeebo on the laptop and the girls were on their bikes. Kaitlyn rode ahead of us so say hi to Dirk. Here's our conversation:
B: Did you say hi to Daddy?
K: Yes. But I'm getting older now so I call him Dad. It's a much older name.

Renee turned 3 on Aug. 25. (Sorry, no pictures. See above comment.) She was excited about opening presents but go all embarrassed when we sahg to her. As I think back to her vocabulary 1 year ago, I'm amazed at how far she's come! Last year she barely said mommy, let along sentences. I love to hear her say things like clothes, closet, driveway, van. Here's how they come out: flothes, floset, riveway, ban.

My children are exposed to Tastefully Simple products all the time. We love the food. Renee even recognizes the logo if it's on a mug or a shirt. I think she's gifted but Dirk says it's just product recognition. I took them bowling last week when Dirk was gone and there was a TS consultant at the bowling center. She recognized her banner. They had fun bowling. Thank goodness for bumpers.......but I should have gotten a few more strikes!

Stop the craziness

I can't believe Labor Day weekend is just around the corner. The summer has gone by quickly, as it always does. We have had a good summer, although there are days I would love to have a few hours to myself!! Some days the girls play wonderfully together. Other days the fighting starts almost immediately. I am looking forward to Kaitlyn starting Pre-K and getting back into a routine.

Screamin' Girls

I have not been good at this blog thing this summer. Sorry. I promise I will try to do better this month or next.

When Dirk and I first moved into our house, the girls across the street were fairly young. They used to be loud and obnoxious when they were playing outside or swimming in their pool. We affectionately called them the screamin' girls. Well, that title has now bitten us back!!! Today I was going to run down to IGA and Renee wanted to go with me. Not a problem, or so I thought. Yes, I was being lazy and was going to take the blue car. She wanted to go in the van and REFUSED to get in the car. So I told her I was going to go without her. She didn't care. She stood by the van and screamed. I wasn't gone very long but....you guessed it. She was still standing by the van when I got home, screaming. I had to carry her into the house, all the while kicking and screaming. She continued screaming in her room for another 15 minutes or so. Tonight at bedtime she screamed for 30 minutes straight!! That girl is one STUBBORN little girl!!

Sometimes Kaitlyn gets into the screaming act. She's much too old to be doing that! Can't wait for school to start. Sorry Becca.

"Daddy said"

Renee has been learning how to play her parents. Whenever she wants to do something, she'll tell me "Daddy said......" For example, when she wanted to have fruit snacks the other day, I told her no, it was too close to dinner. Her response: "Daddy said I could have fruit snacks." Of course, Daddy didn't say anything of the sort. Who taught her that???

The other night she and Kaitlyn were playing in the driveway. They started fighting over the fire truck. Kaitlyn didn't give her a turn quick enough so she took matters into her own hands. Or rather, mouth. Yep......she gave Kaitlyn a big bite on the upper arm. A full mouth imprint!! Luckily it didn't break the surface but it is still bruised 2 days later. Who is teaching her these things???

Kaitlyn and I were running errands the other day and were talking about going to Pre-K in the fall. I told her John wouldn't be able to pick her up like last year. She told me. "I know and I'm very sad about it."

Family Camp

We had a great time at the trailer for Family Camp. The kids loved riding their bikes and playing with their friends. They were both exhausted by the end of the week and it took another week just to recuperate. But all in all, it was a good week.

Dirk and I celebrated our 7th. wedding anniversary on June 30. We were at the lake so decided to go to dinner at Point Breeze. We went to this restaurant near the lake and then got ice cream at Brown's Berry Patch. We had to be back for church that night (I was teaching the 3 & 4 yr. old class) so was a quick time away. Amy and John kept the girls so we knew they were in excellent hands.

Here are a few pictures from the week.






God paints the most gorgeous pictures, doesn't He?





Fourth of July bike parade, despite some drizzle. They loved it!! Renee had her own little parade later, with some pre-teen neighbors.

Out of the Blue

Sometimes I just laugh at the things that come out of my children's mouths. Today was no exception. We were in the driveway and Renee was riding her bike. She came up along side of my chair and told me she was going to park her bike right there. Then she flashed me a big smile. I told her, "I love you so much." Her response: drum roll please........"I'm John's girl!" No "I love you too, Mommy". John wasn't even at our house. She hasn't seen him since church on Sunday. Whatever happened to out of sight, out of mind??

Renee is now sleeping in a big girl bed. We set up the new bed (actually an antique bed from the Faros) but left her crib up, in case she decided against it at bedtime. But she was so excited about the new bed. Around 7:30 she told me she was so tired and wanted to go to bed. So she went upstairs and put on her own jammies. She loves her Cinderella jammies! Of course, when it was really bedtime a little later, she didn't go right to sleep but that's another story. But she did sleep in the new bed. On Monday Daddy took down the crib, much to her displeasure. She kept telling me, "He made a mess in my woom." She didn't care that the crib was gone; she just didn't like the disorganization of the dismantling process. Hmmm, where did she get THAT from?

Kaitlyn and I had a nice little songtime together. Renee wanted to listen to Steve Green on the CD player (Hide 'Em in Your Heart scripture songs) but Kaitlyn suggested that I play the piano and they could sing along to the piano instead. So that is exactly what we did. I've borrowed a book of the music from a friend and Kaitlyn sang her little heart out!

Dirk needed to get some video footage of the stained glass window at church for a wedding video he's working on. He took the girls with him and taped them singing and dancing on the platform, holding the microphones. I know what you're thinking John. Those girls have too much church, right?

Ode to Benjamin

Yesterday was also Ben's high school graduation. So in honor of our next door neighbor and nephew/cousin, this one is for you Ben.

I have watched you grow up, from the day you were born. In fact, I held you when you were barely an hour old. I have spent many fun times with you: numerous trips to the lake and Florida, Family Camp, babysitting you and your siblings and sharing a bedroom with you for 4 months before Dirk and I got married. I think of you whenever Kaitlyn watches Arthur. :)You have been mistaken for my son quite a few times, most recently when you went to Florida with the girls and I a year ago. I would be proud to be your mom anytime. Thanks for always making us laugh. We love you Benjamin.

Happy Birthday

I'm back. We were having some difficulty with the digital camera and I know the main reason anyone reads this blog is to see pics of the girls.

Yesterday was Dirk's birthday. We had a VERY leisurely day, including a family snuggle in our bed for a good hour. Kaitlyn is very much into gift-giving these days. She was sooo excited about the Father's Day gift she made for Dirk and also his father. She was equally excited for his birthday. She wanted him to open his presents after he woke up. Enjoy the pictures.

Megan Brown and Best Friend

I have 2 stories to share tonight, one from each of the girls.

We were going to a birthday party in Spencerport today and on the way we were talking about who else lives there, etc. I reminded Kaitlyn that Megan Brown lives there but she'll be moving after she gets married. (Kaitlyn loves to call people by their first and last names: Megan Brown, Carrie Morgan, John Keller)

K: Who is she marrying?
B: A guy named Matt George.
K: So her name will be Megan George. I'll just call her Megan Curious George. Then she just started giggling.

Renee has been such a mommy's girl lately. Oh surprise! Today she wanted to sit on my lap at breakfast and when I told her she needed to sit on her own chair she protested. "Mommy, you're my best friend." I think I will remind her of this in 10 years when she thinks she's too cool to be seen with me.

Renee's Loose

I don't have any fun pictures to post but thought I would ramble on about what we've been up to. I went to the Women of Faith conference this past weekend. It was wonderful. I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard. The comedian, Anita Renfroe, was hilarious, as were the regular speakers. The messages were great and the music was too. Nicole C. Mullen has some serious muscles!

Renee can now escape from her crib. She was in time-out on Monday and refused to sit on the "time-out step" so I put her in her bed. A few seconds later I heard a little pitter patter on the floor and there she was. I finally had to put one of those doorknob covers on the inside of her room to keep her in there. This morning she got herself up and came up to my room to snuggle with me. I loved it!! She was content to snuggle with me for a good 15 minutes. But then she didn't want me to leave her and wanted to take a shower too. So, she had her first shower. I'm hoping she didn't enjoy it too much because I don't really want to shower with her everyday. Her favorite thing to say is "You're booty booty." in this little sing-song voice. (We call it nudety booty.)

I started selling Tastefully Simple gourmet food in April and had 2 parties this week. They both were good parties and well worth my time and effort. The girls don't like me leaving but that's part of why I'm doing it. :)

Weekend Update

For some reason, our camera is telling me there are no pictures on the card. I know there are....I put them there myself. But for some reason, they're gone. Technology stinks sometimes! I had some cute ones of the cousins and roasting marshmallows.

We had a great weekend at the lake. The girls were so excited to be back in the trailer and the cottage. Kaitlyn woke up in the night one night; couldn't find her bunny. When I easily located him she said, "You can always find Bunny for me Mommy. Thanks." I was a little worried about Renee settling down and sharing a room with Kaitlyn but they did great. In the mornings Kaitlyn never woke her up. Just us.

On Sunday the Ziegler cousins came. The 3 youngest boys and my 2 girls had a great time together!! They played really well and shared so nicely. The Ziegler's had a campfire that night and Kaitlyn was upset with me because I made her go to bed. Mean Mommy!! We had had our campfire the night before but that didn't count I guess. Another time she got upset with me because she wanted to play newcome. Don't even ask me what it is, other than a game that the older kids love to play on the volleyball court. When I told her she couldn't go, she copped an attitude and said, "Mom, did you forget I'm 4 1/2?" My response: "I'm well aware of how old you are but you're still not playing." Take that!

We didn't even try to put Renee down for any naps so she was one tired girl. On the way home Monday night they both were sleeping by 7:50. Kaitlyn woke up briefly when we carried her in but Renee slept 'til we woke her Tuesday at 8:45 and then took a nap in the afternoon!

That about covers our weekend. We had a little rain in the night early Sunday morning. (Enough that it woke Kaitlyn up and she spent the rest of the night in our bed.)

Classic Renee

I wanted to post some pictures from our Memorial Day weekend but am having trouble downloading them from the camera. So I decided to post a classic Renee shot. I know some of my faithful readers haven't seen this one. It was taken when we were in Florida. Big sister thought she was doing a good deed by giving her some markers and a coloring book. This is the result. Praise the Lord for washable markers!! And nothing got on Grandma's walls!

Breakfast Conversation

Here's a short little conversation I had at breakfast this morning with Kaitlyn.

K: Mommy, when are we going to stop going to church.
B: Never. We'll always go to learn about Jesus and worship him.
K: Oh. And after we learn all about Jesus, then we'll become missionaries.

At 4 1/2 she gets the great commission.

I have some funny pictures to post but you'll have to wait until later for those. Stay tuned.

Gradulation

Today was an exciting day in our household.....Gradulation day for Kaitlyn. (She didn't really graduate because she'll be going to Pre-K next year with Miss Becca as her teacher. YEH!!) She did get a certificate though. She was so excited about singing on stage. She had the pinkest cheeks and ears and the biggest smile. Grandma Ann came to see her sing, along with Mommy and Daddy and Renee. Hmmm......someone stood her up for guys night. LAME!

After the ceremony we had cookies in the gym and we were able to get some pictures with her good buddies: Tenley, Samantha and David. Renee has declared her affection for David as well and has decided she wants to marry him too.

It is Better to Give than to Recieve

Kaitlyn demonstrated this biblical principle on Mother's Day. I was just drifting back to sleep at 6:30 (after making an unexpected airport run at 4:30.....that's a whole other story) and she came up to our room excitedly. Instead of coming to my side of the bed like she usually does, she went to Dirk's.

K: Daddy, can Mommy open up her presents now?
D: No, not yet. It's not wake-up time yet.
K: Well, when can she?

We finally held her off until 7 and then Dirk gave in. She had to wait until we were all ready for church to open the gift from she and Renee. Then, she must have asked me 17 times if I liked my presents, which of course I did. You can see her excitement in this picture.

Don't they look cute in their "twin" dresses from Amy and John's wedding?

Tomorrow is the big "Gradulation" day for Kaitlyn so look for some pictures soon.

Naptime

I'm afraid that Renee's napping days are over. She willing climbs into her crib but plays or sings in it for several hours. At least I get some down time. Last week when I went in to get her up, she had taken off her shirt and stuffed her socks in her pocket. The jeans were on backwards....at least she made the attempt to put them back on. Thankfully, the diaper was still on!

Ya Gotta start sometime

I decided I don't have a lot to post but something is better than nothing. We had a relaxing morning today. Kaitlyn and Renee play so well together these days. They wanted to have a picnic lunch in the backyard so we did. We even ate on a blanket instead of the picnic table. They are loving being able to ride their bikes......Renee can pedal hers as fast as Kaitlyn.

Tonight when I went in to see Renee sleeping, she had put her pillow at the other end of her crib, draped George and a fleece blanket over the side of the crib, and had "Woof Woof" right next to her. She had also stuffed her blankie inside her pajama leg so she had this huge bulge. What a goof! She can always put a smile on my face.