Valentines

Ella and I did some serious Valentine crafting this year in a attempt to stave off the winter time boredom of being locked indoors. I think we made 33 in total. We were sweeping up glitter for weeks on end, but i think it was worth it.









Quinn was always napping while we did this project, but doesn't she look cute in her Valentine-colored dress?

Bunny's Birthday

We had a birthday party for Bunny a couple months ago. Complete with bunny cake and three candles, for her third birthday. Ella did the frosting and sprinkles mostly on her own. She was very excited about this, insisting that we wait for Susie to come over for the celebration.

Sister Love

Sleep Victory

We struggled with sleep with Ella for a couple months in late fall last year. She wouldn't go to sleep at bedtime, and wouldn't go back to sleep during night wakings. It was painful, like having a newborn painful. I usually ended up playing musical beds having that where-am-I feeling every time I woke up. Finally we told her, "Mommy and Daddy are not coming in your room at night, no matter what. We will only come in if you throw up or are bleeding so badly you need to go to the hospital." She had two terrible nights involving up to two hours of screaming at our door, knocking, stomping around and throwing things. And then it was over, and she would go back to sleep on her own. Then we tackled her going to sleep without me laying in her bed with a sticker chart (which previously had not worked). She only earned a sticker if she went the whole night without even a whimper. And she finally did it, and got a trip to the carousel. Thankfully we all survived yet another trying phase.

Fast and Furious

In a futile attempt to snap Quinn out of a whining marathon, I ask her if she wants to feed Hailey. "Yeeeaaaahhhh" she replies. I hand her the cup full of food, she quickly turns it upside down, the food scatters all over the kitchen floor, she exclaims, "Taaaa-daaaa!!!"

Exploring potty training goes something like this: Elmo potty! Diaper auck! Go potty! Toilet paper! *drops toilet paper in toilet. Wipes with bare hand* All done! Me: let's sing a song, read a book, etc. All done!!! *slithers off toilet and runs off* All in ten seconds. Yet to have a success.