Buddies...Kind of

I can't say they're buddies all the time, but we're definitely getting to the point where they're starting to play together. There is still a lot of I want what she has, but I have a feeling that's not going to go away anytime in the next 18 years. While we definitely think there are challenges to having two kids in less than two years, we're starting to see the benefits also.

Big Baby in a Little Stroller

Nina and Lyla have taken to a new game. Nina is the mommy and Lyla is her baby, and Nina gives Lyla stroller rides in her baby doll stroller. They both think it's pretty funny, and I crack up b/c Mark sings the big baby in a little stroller a la Tommy Boy - if you forget that part of the movie, here's a little refresher: http://crackle.com/c/Movies_and_TV/tommy_boy_fat_guy_in_a_little_coat/1860692

Thanksgiving 2008 at Hartfield

http://picasaweb.google.com/amandabeth2/051#

I took quite a few pictures of our time down at Hartfield for Thanksgiving, so you can click on the above link to view the slideshow of photos. We had a great time, and with a holiday intended for us to take time to give thanks with family, we were reminded of how much we truely have to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving to all from our family!!!!

If Only I had my Video Camera Handy...

Nina's buddy, Casimir, came over this morning to play. Keep in mind they're both 2 1/2 and great playmates, but it's been at least a month since they've played together. Casimir walks in, he and Nina give each other a hug (completely unprompted by Teresa and I), then Casimir says to Nina, "You look beautiful," and Nina replies, "Oh, thank you," then they run off to play. Can we say prom dates in about 16 years?

We're Going Crazy...Wanna Come?

*** Click anywhere on the collage to see it bigger

I didn't coin this phrase, but I'm using it today for lack of a better one myself. I think this has been the longest 1/2 day we've had in a long time. It's a high of 40 degrees here with blustery winds, and I didn't have anything planned for us to do today...big mistake! So, here are some shots from our morning. Thank goodness for nap time right now then we'll start all over again for the second 1/2 of the day!

Queen of the Table

Remember the game King of the Mountain? Well, we have a little bit of that going on in our house with the learning table we're borrowing from Emme and Ryleigh. We'll call our issue Queen of the Table. Clearly this is a baby toy, however since it's new to us and Lyla wants to play with it, Nina is also obsessed with playing with it. Just like in the King of the Mountain game where you had to pick off all the weaker ones to get to the top of the hill, the stronger sister has been seen "picking off" her weaker sister by removing her hands from the table which obviously results in the little one falling to the floor.

Now the we're onto the little tricks, we keep a very close eye on the situation here...

A Fun Rainy Day Activity

Today I tried out this place in Ashburn that I have never been to before. It's called Sport Bounce. They basically just have a warehouse full of bounce houses and big inflated slides for kids to play on. Since it was a rainy day, it seemed like a good day to give it a try. The sessions of the open gym only last for 1.5 hours, but we used up every minute. Nina had so much fun. She didn't stop running, climbing, bouncing, and sliding the entire time that we were there (click on the picture below to see the happy face). When we had to leave, she told me, "Mommy, I'm so tired," and she took a great nap today! I'll have to do this again! When we were at Sport Bounce, I brought my old/falling apart camera (hence the bad picture above), but I use that camera for video. When I was transferring my pictures, I came across this video that I had forgotten from last week. Lyla had just started clapping, so I was trying to get her to do that on video, but she was more interested in the camera that I thought I had hidden well under the chair!

Uh Oh!

I came into Lyla's room after her nap yesterday afternoon, and this is what I found. Priority #1 when Mark got home from work yesterday - move the crib down to the lower setting!

8 Months Old

Lyla turned eight months old yesterday. Right now she is at the age where she's like a little puppy - very curious and into everything! She is into pulling over trash cans, toy baskets, etc. just to get out everything that is inside. She loves cords and will motor across the room just to get to one (why do kids never love to play with safe things?). She recently started clapping to music, but she claps with one hand open and the other hand in a fist...it's pretty cute!

Sister Update

• In this latest sister update, I'll give you a slight compare and contrast of the girls at the moment: Nina
• very sweet sometimes and very toddler at other times
• quite sharp and is using that ability to exasperate her parents at the moment
• loves being the center of attention in our family
• is motivated by a challenge (we actually got her to eat a few pieces of meat the other day by telling her we didn't think there was ANY chance she could possibly eat it)
• wants anything that Lyla has even if it's a baby toy that she hasn't played with in two years
• has tons of energy and a very big imagination
  Lyla
• very laid back and easy going
• quite determined - if she wants something, she's going to get it
• wants everything that Nina doesn't want her to have - i.e. Nina's "sisters" which are like Polly Pockets, and I'll surround Lyla with her toys and she'll take off crawling at a rapid pace across the room to get Nina's sisters
• has a funny sense of humor for a baby - every morning she waits at the corner of her crib facing the door to her room so she can see us when we walk in. Today she had climbed over her bumper and had her little face pressed against the crib bars trying to see the door better. When I open the door there is this big smile on her face and she starts laughing!
• the type of baby that makes us realize why some people have a lot of kids. We guess we're going to pay for it when she's older.
  
  

Man Enough?

While some people in our country might have been somberly contemplating their vote for today (not to say that we won't be serious while voting today - we will), those in our house were signing a waiver (not kidding) to purchase the hottest wings available, appropriately named the Flatliners. The Redskins were on MNF, so what better occasion to put your manhood to the test? Bo and Mark can definitely take some heat, but I've never seen them react this way. About ten seconds after putting the wing in their mouths, they started sweating, pacing, having shortness of breath, feeling nauseous, etc. I didn't know whether to keep laughing or call 911. They chugged milk, interspersed that with beer, consumed as much celery and blue cheese as possible, and they still couldn't get rid of the feeling that their tongue, throat, and stomach were being ripped out (in their words).

After waking up this morning, both complained of sharp abdominal pain and night sweats that woke them up on several occasions last night. While we're not sure that all Flatliners are created equal, the ones at the Sterling Buffalo Wing House are certainly not for the faint of heart. While I don't think Mark or Bo will ever do that again, they can now wear their Man Badge with pride.

She Loves to Party, She Loves to Get Down...

We all know the song...it very much fits Nina at a party. One thing she definitely gets from her mother is she loves to go to parties! Maybe it's the music, the people, the cake - who knows b/c I love all those things too. Yesterday evening, she was at a 3rd birthday party for her friend, Sophie.She had a little bit of an issue keeping her fingers out of the cake before it was cut. This is clearly the "don't even think of touching my cake" look that she's giving the little boy sitting beside her!

Happy Halloween 2008

Halloween this year was so much fun. This was our princess, ready to head out for the afternoon and evening's events.

Our neighborhood is so awesome. They have so many fun activities for families, and this year for Halloween, they had a magic show for the kids out on the concert lawn. Nina was a little unsure of everything at first (as seen by her face in this picture), but she really warmed up to it after a few minutes.

The kids got to leave the magic show following the good witch in a parade to the town center where all the merchants had treats for the kids who paraded by.

Lyla didn't last too far into the evening. After the town center treats, we came back for a quick dinner, and we got our first trick or treaters at 6:30, so Nina headed back out at that time also. Lyla was in bed by 7:00 as she was exhausted!

Nina loved being in her princess costume and going door to door for candy. She was very chatty with everyone who handed out candy, and she really seemed to enjoy herself. There were SO MANY people out in the neighborhood, and she also loved checking out everyone's costumes, house decorations, etc. One of her favorites was a dog dressed in a pumpkin costume. She laughed and laughed about how silly it was.

She stayed out until 8:30 and came home exhausted but very satisfied with the amount of candy she collected. Considering that she walked the whole afternoon and evening, we were shocked at how long she wanted to stay out, but we were very glad she had a good time. Perhaps the girls will sleep in tomorrow? Doubtful, but there's always a reason to hope! :)

She's Moving Now

Yesterday, Lyla put together the hand and knee motions and really started cruising around. We're very excited for such a beautiful fall day for Halloween. Although their costumes have already been pictured, I'll take plenty of pictures of the evening. Nina, of course, is going to be a princess, and Lyla will wear her candy corn jumpsuit with her owl hat. We're looking forward to a fun evening. Happy Halloween!!!

The Pink Polka Dot Pumpkin Princess Party

Yesterday was the annual Halloween party at Mousey and Poppy's house. Coincidentally, it was also Mousey's birthday, so there was much to celebrate. I am not really happy with my picture taking from the day. I didn't get many pictures at the party, and before we went to the party, the girls and I went to our community's Fall Festival where Nina took her first pony ride, but I didn't have my camera with me.

The theme of this year's party was pink polka dot pumpkin princesses. You can see from the pink princess pumpkin in the picture above that Mousey and Poppy were very creative as usual.

Lyla didn't get dressed up like a princess, but she wore her owl hat and halloween jumpsuit. Nina and Emme were more than happy to get dressed up as princesses for the occasion!

We Love Fall

Aside from the shorter daylight hours, we love fall. The season has so many fun things about it, and looking for cool leaves and chasing squirrels are just some of the perks.

Nina tries so hard to catch squirrels, but obviously she doesn't succeed. A few times I've been a little wary just because the squirrels are so tame I think they actually won't run when she gets up to them. It's been close a few times, but they keep running from her and she keeps chasing them, so the game is fun for her anyway.

The Inchworm

Fun With Friends

On Saturday, I got the chance to meet up with four of my good girlfriends from high school. If my photo albums from high school weren't under two heavy bins in our garage, I would scan a picture from our graduation that was 14 years ago (yikes!) for a little then and now, but I don't think we've changed that much! :) Here we are having lunch at the Williamsburg Winery.

Fall Pictures

A Baby in the Sink

What's the best thing to do when you've got one very dirty baby and another one still eating dinner at the table who you need to watch? Throw the baby in the kitchen sink...it works great!

A Powerful Film

I had the chance last night to go with a couple girlfriends to view a film released this week called Call + Response. To say it was impactful would be an understatement. Even the film's trailer (on their website) is difficult to watch. While some of the images will be burned in my memory forever, I was very grateful for the opportunity to be exposed to the information (and grateful to Mark for watching the girls so I could go), and I'm excited to use what I've learned to try to make an impact on the issue. If you're interested in viewing the film, it is being released in select major cities over the country this week.

That's So Nina

I had to take a picture of this on our driveway. It's her first smiley face that is anatomically correct. Normally, her smiley faces have 10 eyes, the mouth is outside the head, etc., but this one was so cute!The girl loves ice cream!
And she loves tea parties with princess shoes!

7 Months

Lyla turned seven months old yesterday. It's kind of hard to believe that much time has passed. She is so sweet and laid back that we almost don't realize the time is passing. This is her new thing - she gets up on her hand and knees and rocks and scoots her knees forward a little bit, but she still falls when she tried to move her hands!
She still loves attention, is getting better with eating solid food, and she remains fascinated with the antics of her older sister. We have very little to complain about with the baby experience this time around...does that mean we're really in for it when she gets older?