Traffic Jam

One of the grandkids' favorite things to do on the farm is ride all of the four-wheeled vehicles.

Wyatt was quite the stud on his four-wheeler. He just had trouble remembering to keep pressing the button!

Amity still likes this truck...

but she prefers having the men do the heavy lifting for her!

This turf tractor was primarily ridden by Griffin but, for some reason, I don't have any of him driving it. Probably because he figured out how to switch it to turbo speed and he was too busy whizzing about the farm. Amity is super-cautious around these types of toys but Aunt Jenni got her to give it a go.

Quite an Impressionism!

Four of the six adults left to go up to the church on Saturday to help with set-up and practice for the special music. KK and I stayed with the four littles. It was no surprise that KK had a plan and her plan turned out perfectly.

The plan involved lots of shaving cream on cookie sheets...

and lots of washable material to clean-up...

and lots of kitchen utensils to experiment with. Griffin and Amity played with the "paint" for at least thirty minutes!

Horseplay

This picture of Amity and GG reminds me of a picture of me riding a horse at the farm when I was her age. Amity, someday you will ask us why we let you smile this way and the only thing I can say is this is your current favorite way to smile for the camera. I think it is something that most preschoolers do. It's not your best but it is kind of classic two-year-old!

Vivien hung out with Peanut.

On Saturday, when riding in the truck with GG and KK, Amity pointed out the window to Peanut and called him "Butter" and then corrected herself! :) Love how those little brains think!

She Thinks the Tractor's...

Amity has not wanted to ride in GG's tractor for several farm visits because she says it is too loud and scary. But, this visit, she braved the tractor while it was turned off and Vivien got in on the action too. These are country girls in the making!

Christmas Dresses...Take One

Last year, I hit the post-Christmas sales with Lolly and Becky and found two sets of deeply-discounted matching Christmas dresses at the malls. At the time, we were waiting to meet Vivien and wondering what she would be like. Now, she is here and we are getting to know more and more about her big sweet personality AND I finally get to pull those dresses out from the back of the closet!

Want S'more?

When I think of the being at the farm with my Oma and Opa, one of the main memories is having a fire and cooking hot dogs and s'mores. Thankfully, GG and KK love to carry on this tradition!
 

Snug as a bug...

When you can't walk yet, there isn't a whole lot to do outside on the farm. And, when it is really windy and cold outside, your mom (and KK) are going to bundle you up so that movement is completely prohibited. Thankfully, sweet Vivi patiently endured her lack of movement and simply enjoyed the scenery and the people/dog-watching and a few snuggles from Mom and Dad!

Look, Mom! No hands!

Gobble, Gobble!

Guess what? Vivien likes Thanksgiving food as much as her Mommy! She was a big fan of KK's sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry salad, and turkey. I still need to work with her on the cornbread dressing.

It is a good thing that she is eating so well since she has practically quit her bottle. A phone call to our doctor's office on Friday told us to "dig in our heels" and keep trying to get her to take it. I think this little girl just wants to grow up too fast!

Say Cheese!

On Saturday afternoon, we drove up to Frisco for a mini-photo session with Sarah Thompson. She was AMAZING and did such a great job with the girls (and Dennis, too!). We can't wait to see the pictures in a few weeks.

Afterwards, we treated ourselves to a delicious dinner at Macaroni Grill.

Upon returning home, Amity decided to take up photography as her newest hobby..."just like Miss Sarah!"

Home Again

Yesterday afernoon, during naptime, we pulled this Fisher Price Play 'n Learn House out of the attic where it has stayed since last Christmas when we added the kitchen to our little play area. Now that Vivien is crawling and climbing, we thought she would really enjoy it. We had no idea that it would be Amity that would the most thrilled about this "new house".

For the first time, the girls have really played together. Well, Vivien just crawls around and chews on things but Amity thinks she is playing with her. She talks and interacts with her and it is just so cute. They played for a couple of hours together yesterday afternoon while I cooked and Dennis watched the football game.

Vivien doesn't really care what she plays with as long as her sister is nearby.

She's got your back!

It's naptime and I just sat down to post some pictures from the past few weeks.  Usually, Amity naps in her bed and Vivien naps in the pack and play in our room or the guest bedroom/office.  Lately, because of needing to work in both of those rooms, we have tried putting Vivien down in her crib and they have both napped just as well.  This afternoon, I have clothes to fold on our bed and work to do on the office computer so I decided to try it again.  I heard quiet talking and babbling for a few minutes accompanied by the roar of the sound machine.  Just now, I heard, "Mommy, her foot is stuck!" repeated several times.  I opened the door to see V's foot hanging through the crib slats and Amity laying on her pillow pointing at her sister.  By the time, I touched Vivien's foot, she was already slipping it back through the bed so it didn't really seem to be an emergency.  I still love Amity's concern for her sister and I pray this care and concern perseveres, especially through middle school and high school!

Tasty

Our pediatrician warned me at V's six-month appointment to watch out for self-feeding when she started crawling. Apparently, I had forgotten what it is like to have a crawler (a.k.a. "Human Hoover") in the house. I am constantly picking up leaves, dog hair, etc. off of the floor in order to not have to pull it out of Vivien's mouth. She is definitely in her "oral fixation" stage and a toy is only as good as it tastes in her mouth. See examples below from playtime in the girls' room this afternoon!

Thank goodness she has those cheeks for storing all of her tasty treats! :)