TWO Cute

This little girl is almost TWO! Typical of an almost two-year-old, her current favorite phrase is "all-by-self". Of course, this phrase is often quickly followed by "HELP!" and then, just as we arrive to help, we hear another "all-by-self"! From putting on her shoes to climbing the stairs to pretty much anything, she is definitely experimenting with independence.

Puzzles are still a favorite. The peg ones are too easy but the regular jigsaw ones are too hard. This seems to be typical of so many things right now but it IS fun watching her try to be more grown-up. Of course, we LOVE when she realizes she is still a little girl and needs our help and HUGS!

This little tape player with dual microphones cost me $4 at the Just Between Friends sale. It has already gotten its money's worth in the past week. Amity picked it up off the fireplace and started carrying it around with her on her tractor. It reminded me of how I used to rig up a tape player behind the banana seat of my bike and ride around the sidewalks in our front yard, pretending I was driving. I am so glad my daughter is going to be as cool as I was! :)

Snug as a bug in a...

Amity and Vivien received some sweet hand-me-downs Friday night from the Newsomes. Amity discovered them laying in the chair and asked to put on the ladybug costume. It was pretty snug but she liked it. We then decided to let her practice a little egg hunting in preparation for Easter weekend. Dennis hid the eggs around the living room and dining room and Amity gradually got the idea that she was supposed to find the eggs and put them in her basket.

Little Sister's toys provide good places for hiding eggs! Next year, Little Sister will be competition!

Very proud of the eggs she found! Little does she know that the real egg hunt will have eggs that actually have something in them!

Cute Cousins at the Park

Cousin Eiley came to spend the morning with us today. I took the two big girls to the park and left Vivien with her Daddy while he worked on his dissertation. (Go Daddy!)

Eiley and Amity could not be more different people at the playground. Eiley is all about the adventure and Amity is Little Miss Cautious. While Amity went up and down the stairs (her primary playground routine), Eiley enjoyed some time in the swing.

Hopefully, this is the only time you'll ever see these girls behind bars!

After watching these two at the park, I concluded that there are two types of people in this world: the kind that like to fall and those that do everything their power to prevent it. Eiley likesto fall down! And she does it very gracefully! One of her favorite things to do was run up the slide, fall, and slide back down. Amity just stared at her like she was crazy. She would definitely belong to the other category! I wonder what type of person Vivien will be!

They may not be as alike as two peas in a pod but we pray they will be good friends for a lifetime!

Vivien is 2 months old!

Sweet little Vivien turned 2 months old yesterday!

Her well-baby visit stats:

Weight: 11.8 pounds (77%)

Length: 23.5" (93%)

Head: 16 1/4 (95%)

She smiled big for Dr. Moore and performed really well for the entire exam with a few tears during the shots. Her sister, on the other hand, was very concerned. It was hard to tell if she was truly concerned for Vivien or more worried that the attention was about to be turned to her. Half-way through the exam, Amity signed and said "All done! Vivien...all done!"

At home, Vivien continues to be a good sleeper, sleeping regularly from 10:30 pm-6:30 am. She is taking 6-7 bottles a day with 3-4 ounces each time. She still likes her pacifier, especially when going down for a nap or at night but she is getting very close to finding her thumb.

She loves her bathtime!

All of her tummy time (a.k.a. "sleeping!") seems to have made her neck and arms very strong!

A peek into life with Miss Vivi!

Spring Break Snow

Last night before bed, Dennis let Paco outside and said, "It's snowing!" Since this is the third snow of the year, I was in no hurry to look out the window and figured that it was probably just some typical Texas flurries. I went to bed without looking outside and woke to find this the next morning:

This is not what you would typically expect on the last day of Spring Break in Texas!

American Idol?

Simon probably wouldn't think so but we thought the grandparents would at least cast their vote! We ended the final minutes of our Oklahoma road trip singing a few songs. Amity has just started to try to sing along.

The ABC Song

The A-M-I-T-Y Song

All By Myself!

It is raining this afternoon and we are stuck inside. While I was sorting through toys and books (we have too many!) and organizing in the closets, I caught Amity attempting to put her shoes on all by herself. We keep her shoes in a basket by her closet. Before I ran to get the camera, I watched her pick out these black shoes and try to put one on. It was too difficult so she got up and went to get her red shoes. She had issues with the strap so she decided to give the black shoes another try and after several minutes of effort, she got her right shoe on. I ran to get the camera and came back to catch footage of the left shoe! It is riveting...at least it was for this proud mama! :) So fun to see her try out new things on her own! Now if only she would try sitting on the potty!