Rabbit Season

We had a lot of fun again this Easter. At the mom's club Easter Festival we almost got blown away, so we didn't stay too long. Todd's friends from Michigan were visiting at the time, so they came along for the hunt with their daughter Leah. 

Snow Days

Ok, so this is old news, but since the grand plan is to print this blog out for my girls as a quasi- scrapbook, I think I should put an entry in her that covers all the snow we had this winter.  The best snowfall came on  February 11, 2010 (several years ago we had a good snow day on Feb 14th).  So, as with all good snowfalls around here, this one took everyone by surprise. Let me rephrase, the 12 inches of snow took EVERYONE by surprise.  It started with school getting canceled at noon. So I picked Bella up early, sent mom home, and bundled the girls up for some romping around in the snow. We, along with the neighbors played in the snow and built a snow man. We came inside for no less than an hour when Todd came bursting into the house at 4:00 wanted to play in the snow. So I threw all our non-water repellent clothes in the drier, wrapped the girls feet in sarin wrap (when I threw the girls in the tub before Bella's feet looked really red and she said they hurt when she put them in the water and then she told me that it felt like needles), and we headed back outside.  We built a snow slide that time. The following day was a snow day for me and the girls, and we went back outside and made snow angels up and down the golf course.  I feel and got up so many times that then muscles in my neck were sore. 

And then as my plane from Honduras landed, it was snowing - March 21st. That time we just went outside for a little bit and just made snow tracks. We were hunting bears.

Sound bites

At night after I brush her teeth and read her a book and turn off her light, I ask Bella who she wants to pray for. "Grammy, daddy and all the loved people." That is supposed to be "all the people we love". But I like all the loved people better. 

And one night Bella told me that she wanted to pray for Preston. Bella proceeded to tell me that Preston was still a baby but he was with the big kids and he was having trouble being whinny since he just turned 3. 

Last night when we asked Becca if she farted, she said, "Yeah, I poop-pooped gas."

Tonight as I tucked Bella into bed, Bella said to me, "Mommy, I love you so much. And in the morning I'll have a surprise for you."

Becca has gotten into the Dora/Diego scene now and knows all the characters.  So when Daddy showed up with a Boots and Swipper doll, both girls got really excited. And although Daddy bought the Boots doll for Becca (b/c for a time Bella called Becca Boots), somehow Becca got stuck with the Swipper doll. So as she is running around with the doll in hand we hear Becca saying, "You'll never find it now, hehehe." 

Mema's sewing magic

Mema and Grandpa just came for a visit. And this time around I told Mema, I was putting her to work. I'd recently been to a party where they were charging and an arm and a leg for what amounted to handmade outfits. You could pick the fabric and styles and embellishments and fork over a fortune. Instead, I thought, I know someone who can do this. So Grace and I went shopping at Joanne's one night, and I tried to pin and cut the material (Much more complicated than I thought. Yet another hobby I do not seem to be suited for). Grace did all the sewing, and a lot of the cutting for that matter. The outfits were a success! Bella showed up to school on Monday wearing one of her two outfits, and the ladies at the school immediately noticed. I proudly said, "I know aren't they cute. Bella's Mema made them."

Dinner Time

I think Becca's favorite time of day is dinner time. She loves to eat. However, she really thinks it's unfair that she has to sit at the table to eat. We make her eat at the table mostly because it ensures she is not eating all day. So, in an effort to entice her back to the table, we decided to put her in a booster seat. She loved it. The newness has worn off, and she will still ask to take her meal on the run, rather than sit at the table, but the struggle is not as heartfelt. And I must say, that for a 19 month old baby, she does a very good job of eating at the table and not making a mess. In fact I would say she probably makes less of a mess than Bella. Of course food is Becca's life, so to waste one morsel of food by dropping it on the floor or table is probably heresy in her book. 

Bella's Third Birthday

Yesterday was Bella's third birthday and her first BIG birthday celebration. Bella talked about her birthday all week - wanting to know everyday who was coming to her party and then swearing up and down, that no, Cole (a friend from school) was coming. "Yes he is mommy. He told me he was coming." Cole's mommy never RSVP'ed and did not show up. :( But lots of other friends did. We had 18 kiddos, friends from school and church. We had the party at ASI gym, and the girls, Bridgette and Sam, who helped with party, were great. Todd made the cakes, one Diego and one Dora. He baked the cakes early in the week, made the frosting and decorated the cake.  I helped this time, but in the whole grand scheme of things my contribution was minimal. I dyed the frosting and did some decorating on Diego, but the victory goes to Todd.  Bella never stopped smiling at her party, and the only whining I remember hearing was when we got to the party room. She didn't care much for the nuggets. All she cared about was the cake; the cake that she had already sampled prior to the party, so I guess she knew it was good. Thanks again to Todd for "fixing" the cake.  And while she is not one for sharing with her sister, she was concerned about her sister not having any presents or not being able to wear a tutu or crown. However, it didn't take long and it wasn't a hard concept for Bella to get that the day was all about her. 

Christmas time was here

At Willowbrook Mall in line to see Santa. They do a Polar Express themed display.

Christmas eve before we went to Grammy and Popo's party with all the family. 

Christmas time with the girls was a lot of fun.  We did breakfast with Santa, pancakes with Santa, and pictures with Santa. We went to Christmas parties; We went looking at lights at night; We went to Christmas Eve service (all of us in one pew); We went to the Nutcracker. I drank A LOT of hot chocolate; Bella & Becca ate A LOT of little chocolates with the advent calendar. Heck, we even had a white Christmas. We had Todd's work party at our house, but this year the girls were at the party. It was nice of his co-workers that they didn't mind, and they certainly tried to charm everyone.  And this year we learned about all the houses in the metroplex that have light shows in their front yards. It got to be an evening ritual as we tried to hit several of them up, and with the girls bedtime being 8:00, we would only wind up seeing one of them a night. The Christmas eve service was the first time that either girl had been in the sanctuary. I wound up taking Becca out because she has a problem with being confined. She is at that stage where she thinks she can go and do and doesn't want to be directed or corralled or held. It would sometimes cause a problem when we would go looking at lights, too, because we would get out of our cars, but we could not just let her wonder into the street.