Random Thoughts

• Arianna has started calling Isabella, "Bella Grace."  We call her that occasionally, but you can tell AJ thinks she's hot stuff.  Everytime she says it she looks at me, knowing I'm going to smile/laugh at her.
• Bella really likes to help clean the house.  She keeps expanding her abilities.  Today she asked for a wet paper towel, and proceeded to wipe off the dining room table, and the kitchen counter.  Then she folded all the small towels that were clean in the laundry basket.  She also will folder her own pj's, clean her room, AJ's room, and the bonus room.  I'm thinking I'll teach her to dust next!  She says she's going to do all the work so I can have play time with Arianna.
• Arianna has become a bear to feed.  She is inconsistent in what she will eat, and when.  She grazes rather than eating meals.  She seems to think she can live on cereal and french toast sticks.
• Both kids love doing art.  We have lots of art supplies, but I think we need to move to more craft kits.
• AJ is sporting rug burn on her forehead.  I bet she won't climb out of her crib again anytime soon!
• The girls have discovered wrestling/roughhousing with each other.  Anyone surprised that Arianna was the one to introduce it?
• Mommy loves, loves, loves their developing independence.  They are doing so much more for themselves, and I encourage it anyway I can.
• Andes Mints are nut free, have no potential for being cross contaminated.  That's the first "normal" chocolate candy I've found that is safe for AJ.  Yay!!!

Arianna

I’ve been trying to come up with an Arianna update, but am having a hard time. She’s at that stage where almost everything she does or says in funny. Her vocabulary is exploding, and her sentences just keep getting longer and longer, but you have to see her to get it. I can’t write about it and do her justice.


She’s been sick for what seems like forever (we finally have her on antibiotics, but they haven’t seemed necessary until recently because it’s just a cold and/or fever). Yesterday I said something to her about her “cold” and she replied, “No, Mommy, I’m hot.” It was quite cute.

She’s showing mild interest in potty training. She sits on the potty, and will often go pee, but just isn’t very excited about taking time away from something fun to go. We’ve transitioned her to pull-ups, which she likes a lot. Now she pees in them, then when she’s done with whatever she’s doing, goes and gets clean one, and changes herself. That wasn’t quite the outcome we were hoping for!

Arianna likes school a lot. We’re told she’s getting more and more outgoing, and assertive. Her teachers are GREAT, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the program she’s in. We are exploring options for summer care for both kids since their program breaks at the end of the school year.

Arianna loves her big sister, but is without a doubt the bully of the two. It’s not at all uncommon for Arianna to hit Bella, and leave her in tears. Arianna is also our more daring child. She’s not scared of much, and is reluctant to stop doing something when we tell her no. She’s sure she need to open every door, touch every electronic, and jump off of every high perch she can find. She can get injured without much of a peep, and if she cries, she gets over it very quickly.

She’s become quite the affectionate kid recently. She loves to give spontaneous hugs, kisses, and I love yous. She loves to do art…especially anything that involves making a mess.

She is such a joy, and she brings us a smile all the time!

Who's God's Mommy?

Last night Isabella asked me, "Who's God's Mommy?"  I explained to her that God doesn't have a mommy, because he came first, before anyone else.  She declined that explanation because everyone has a mommy...otherwise, how did he get out of someone's belly?  After I tried several stumbling attempts at an explanation, she declared, "It's okay Mommy, I know all about God."  I replied, "That's good, because Mommy is obviously confused!"

Squishy

Over the weekend I was holding Arianna.  She was pushing on my bra cup.  She says, "That's you bwa.  It squishy...like my diaper!"

Why are you my Momma?

From Isabella...Mommy, why are you my Momma?  I want Grandma to be my Momma.  I'm going to pray and ask God to make Grandma my Momma, and make you my Grandma.

Marry a Girl?

Last night Bella declares, "I wish I could marry a girl." I quickly remembered all the wise counsel I've received in the last five years, and instead of going in to panick or damage control mode, I simply asked, "Really? why?" She tells me that if she could marry a girl, she'd marry Arianna so they could always live together! Awww...how sweet (and not at all where I thought that conversation might be going)!

Blogging Again...Bella Style

Before I had kids, when y'all were the ones with little ones, I alway wished you would send out more updates than you did. I thought if I was ever the one with kids, I would be better about keeping everyone up-to-date with what was going on. Now I understand the lack of updates! Holy cow...we are busy! I'm going to tackle an update now, because the dishwasher doesn't need to be emptied, the floors don't need to be swept/mopped, the laundry is all caught up, I don't have any "real" work that needs to be done, the kids aren't clammering for my attention, there are no dust bunnies hiding in the corners, and the island isn't piled so high that you can't see the counter top! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Isabella is growing up so fast. She seems to mature every day. She enjoys all things girly...her entire wardrobe is pink and purple (she refuses to wear black, brown or dark green). She loves to dance, sing and put on "concerts" for us. Her favorite song is still "Living on a Prayer" by Alvin and the Chipmonks, but she will tolerate the original by Bon Jovi. She also likes the song by Willow Smith...is it called, "I whip my hair back and forth"? Obviously Mom is a bit behind on pop culture!

She's doing well in school. She's writing all of her letters, knows what they all say, but is still struggling with letter combinations (why IS the 'K' silent when it's with an 'N'?). She's starting to read a little. On her list of favorite things are her Barbies, her Grandma Rose, and her Mommy (possibly in that order!). She loves to build stuff and is constantly hanging bed sheets and blankets from her top bunk to make swings. She's also a master negotiator, always trying to find ways to bargain for "one more minute" of whatever fun activity she's engaged in at the time.Bella recently had a struggle with a little boy in her lunch room. We talked to the teacher and got permission for her to move to another room. However Bella decided that she wanted to stick it out and deal with him. She was NOT letting him get to her. We were really proud of her stick-to-it-ness. She's a very strong child that doesn't back down from anything!

Funnies From Friday

Jason took the girls to the zoo yesterday, and Arianna called the gorillas (and apparently most of the other animals too) "Ma Ma". Um, I'm not sure what to think about that!

Bella is still periodically asking us for a new baby. While I was holding Arianna we had this conversation:

Bella: Mommy, do you ever think about having another baby?

Me: No

Bella: But I want one (she's starting to get whiny now)

Me: No honey, we're not having another baby.

Bella: But I need one, because that one (points to Arianna) IS NOT WORKING!!!

Two Quick Things

First, Arianna is finally saying Ma Ma!!!

Second, a funny exchange when I got home from work today:

Daddy: Bella, do you want to come downstairs and see Mommy?

Bella: No, I'm working on my voicemail.

I guess a girl has to have her priorities, right?

More Random Happenings

#1 Arianna took her first steps on Wednesday night. She won't walk to Jason or me, but took three steps to get to Jason's food. I guess we know what motivates her!

#2 Bella is such a hoot, she's constantly cracking me up with something she says or does. Last night she was playing with her magic wand and said, "I'm going to poof Arianna gone so we can have another baby." She's seriously on a campaign to get another baby...a boy this time. She WANTS a brother.

#3 Arianna is starting to form words (that you can only understand in context because they are still baby babble). She says, Bella, DaDa, Grandma, kisses...you'll notice there is no "Ma Ma" on this list. She's also picking up on lots of baby signs. She will sign dog, fan, light, Da Da (you can tell she's a Daddy's girl...she can say AND sign Da Da), nurse, and cracker.

#4 Mommy and Daddy are getting a date night tomorrow!!! Thanks, Grandma Rose.

#5 Bella has decided she's getting married in a pretty dress. She can't tell me who she's marrying, just that she knows she wants one of those pretty dresses (we attended a wedding last weekend, and apparently the dress made a big impression).

#6 Arianna got her first two teeth a couple weeks ago. Now she's working on getting four more...all at once. They are making her very uncomfortable, and she's not bashful about letting us know it!

#7 Bella is super-duper fascinated with all things related to hospitals. Her current obsession is the medflight helicopter at St. Joe. Whenever Jason brings the girls to me at work (usually twice a week) we have to swing by the heli-pad, and see if it's there. Occasionally we get to see it take off or land...and she LOVES that.

There is never a dull moment around our house. I could go on and on. I'm learning to appreciate all the ways I am blessed, even in the midst of what often feels like chaos.

Random Happenings In our House

As I'm sitting here pumping, there are several random things floating around my brain. I thought I'd post them...

First, Arianna has had very little interest in walking. She pulls herself up and cruises (holding onto furniture, walls, etc) but doesn't attempt steps. Last night she grabbed the back of the rocking horse, pulls herself to a standing position, and proceeds to walk it across the floor (10 feet or so). Hmmmm...I think she's hiding a talent from us!

We are attempting to night-wean Arianna (yes, again) and move her out of our bedroom. So, we put her crib in the toy room, and Jason is camping out on the futon. We haven't decided if we are going to convert the toy room into a bedroom for her or have her share Bella's room. So, until that decision is made, she's bunking in the toy room. It looks a little funny, but is practical for the moment.

Arianna has starting using several baby signs. She says "dog" "bye-bye" "all done" "fan" "light" and I'm quite sure she's tried to use "nurse" but it's been inconsistent. It's pretty funny to see her do "all done" because what she's really trying to convey is, "I do NOT want that nasty food you're trying to convince me to eat. Please get it out of my face now."

It's so much fun to watch Bella and Arianna develope their relationship. They are starting to play with each other quite a bit. Arianna loves to laugh at Bella...and Bella loves to be silly to get a laugh. They are quite the entertaining combo.

Saturday evening we went to a cookout at my brother's house (thanks Jim and Amy for having us...it was great). There were several of our family members in attendance, so Bella had lots of people that she was comforable chatting/playing with. At one point I look over and my Dad is sitting is a circle with three other 60-ish men, and Bella. She has climbed up in one of the empty chairs and is hanging with the grown-ups as if it's her favorite spot in the whole world. I wished for my camera at that moment! She is such a ham! I think that was the only point in the entire evening when she let Aunt Amy get out of her sight, though. Bella LOVES her Aunt Amy, and was insistent that she go wherever Amy went.

What is she talking about?

Bella has a couple favorite topics to chat about. The first one is her job. She'll tell you that she got a new job at the hospital, and that she works on computers (or does numbers). She also has a Ms. Shirley at her new job. This is all a direct reflection of everything that she knows about my new job (Ms. Shirley is my boss). She tells us constantly that she has to go back to work. Or she'll pick a specific toy that she has to take to work with her.

She's also has been talking about death a lot recently. This started with a dead squirrel in the road in front of our house. We tried to explain it in 3-year-old terms. Then, Jason's uncle passed away...so there were more talks of death. Finally, one of Bella's little friends has chickens, and one died. Bella made her a card (it never got delivered, but it was made...sorry Ava) and we chatted about it. Through all of this Bella has had lots of questions about who's dead (Aunt MaryAnn and Uncle Mike are popular...I assume because we don't get to see them very often). She's also asked Grandma Rose where her Mommy is (yes, you guessed it she's dead)...and on, and on it goes. I know she doesn't really understand it all, but I can't really tell how much of it she DOES get. So, we just keep answering her questions as best we can.

So, you take these two distinct trains of thought and rattle them around in her little brain and here's what you get..."My job died today". She tells EVERYONE she sees that her job died and she needs another one. She comes up with variations on this too. For example, she told me the other day, "My Ms. Shirleys died...all five of them. I'm looking for another one." Funny kid!

Party with Daddy's Family

Aunt Bethany was in town, and we had a gathering at our house for a lot of Daddy's family. It was so much fun.

Here's Bella with her cousin Lauren. I never realized, until I looked at this picture, how much they looked alike.

One of the highlights was making ice cream. Here's Bella taking her turn cranking with Papa Calvin.

Bella Loves to Play Dress-Up

Bella's Birthday Party

Bella turned three in May. We had a cookout to celebrate. Grandma Rose and David made her a gorgeous cake, and let Bella help decorate it. We all had a great time with friends and family.

She so CUTE!

Catching Up

I'd seriously thought my blogging days were over, but I'm sitting here watching Arianna master the art of crawling.  That just makes me want to post an update.  

Arianna still doesn't quite have the hang of crawling, but she's definitely very mobile.  She is already trying to follow Bella around!  She babbles all the time, and is even starting to form some preliminary words.  This morning when I leaned over her to pick her up from bed she looked at me and said, "Ma Ma."  It was the first time her ma-ma-ma-ma babbles seemed to be in context and specifically aimed at me.  She also says Da-Da to Jason...especially when she wants his attention.

Bella is such a riot these days.  It's so much fun to watch her imagination develop.  She created a pretend friend the other night.  It was short lived, but she enjoyed it for a moment.  She loves to play in her kitchen, with the princesses, and building  blocks.  She's a huge fan of playing outside.  She also loves to watch TV or movies.  We have to set specific limits for her or she'd watch Sleeping Beauty 18 times per day.  One of Bella's biggest accomplishments of late is potty training.  She's been doing really well.  She seems to like to wait until we get in the car to come home from some place (restaurant, zoo, etc) to let me know that she needs to go potty.  Then I have to take her back inside.  I've learned a lot about helping her go in public bathrooms (yuck), but if you have any tips or tricks, I'd love to hear them!

Jason is on his break between semesters, for which I think we are all thankful.  It was a tough one...and he goes back at it in three weeks.  I'm starting a new job mid-May...and I'm really looking forward to it.

I'll post pictures soon (yeah, don't hold your breath).

"Talking"

Arianna loves to talk.  Here she's having a conversation with Aunt Amy.

Arianna and her Exersaucer

Don't you just love that hair!!!  Yes, it does that all by itself...and no, we can't brush it down.

Putting Her Back???

Isabella declared this weekend that Mommy and Daddy need to go back to the hospital and put
Arianna back in Mommy's belly. Hmmmm...I don't think so! Getting a 10 pound baby out was quite enough for me.