Sarah's One Year Old Pictures

Here are the pictures of Sarah that I had taken at Sears. Her one year old pic's. I wish they had turned out better. They are OK, they just don't show Sarah's true smile and personality. She was such a bear trying to get these taken. She would only sit for about one pic. then she would take off running. I was so hot from chasing her down, by the time we were done, my hair was soaked and I wished I had worn shorts. But, they are better than nothing.

Sarah's 1st Birthday

Our baby girl celebrated her first birthday on Aug. 3rd. And, I'm a bad mommy for not posting this earlier. It just took me this long to get the pictures on to the computer. So, at least I have them on now.

We celebrated at home with friends and family. The kids all really enjoyed playing on our new swing set and play structure in the backyard. It was a pretty warm day. Sarah got a lot of cute toys and clothes. Thank you everyone for the gifts and for coming to help us celebrate our baby's first birthday.

Oh my, we can't call her our baby anymore. She's a toddler! Aaaahhhh! Here are the many names we have given our little darling....Sarah-boo, Boobooo, Sarah-dactil, Baby monster, Screacher creature, Godzoockie, Sweet pea, and termite. I'm sure there are more, I just can't think of them right now.

Our little wonder girl is constantly keeping us on our toes. She is now running and climbing on everything. She has no fear, that's OK, I have enough for the both of us. She is so easy going and loves to go to everybody. We rarely have separation anxiety, in fact the only time she cries when we leave is because she wants to go outside, too. She's not upset that we are leaving. :0)

Below are some pictures from her birthday party. Enjoy!

Oh my, look at all the helpers who want to help Sarah unwrap her gifts. :0)

Great Gma and Sarah opening presents.

I made Sarah a butterfly birthday cake. I made sure to make it chocolate so it would show up better in the pictures. :0)

Are you sure I'm supposed to eat this?

Hmmm, this looks interesting. I wonder if it tastes good.

OOoooohhhh, squishy, squishy! I like it!

Now I'm getting the hang of this eating cake thing. Yummmm!

What? Aren't I supposed to make a mess? :0)

Tomatie Harvest

Here is Amanda showing off her tomatie harvest. They took a long time to turn red. I've heard from a lot of people that the tomato harvest all over was like that. We had/have a lot of green tomatoes but they are sure taking their time turning red. That's her giant tomato plant to her right. I didn't know they got that big, it was draped all over the ground and climbing the tree and fence. Next year I think we'll fix it up with some string or something to climb. And, yes there is a metal shield thingy that helps support the plant somewhere in there. It just wasn't big enough. Oh well, this was our first try at this, we'll know more for next year.

Camping And Ticket Fines

Camping....

Below you will see a slide show of the camping "trip" Dave and Amanda took in the back yard. Dave really wanted to go camping one more time this year, but it just didn't work out for us. So, he and Amanda decided to set up the tent in the backyard and camp back there. It was a lot of fun for them. Especially Amanda. She and Sarah both had fun setting up the tent. Sarah stayed inside with me that night, but played in the tent with her sister until Smores time. I got the girls all ready for bed and while I was doing that, Dave set up an old grill with wood burning to make our smores. They were soooooo good. Def. have to do that again. :0)

Ticket Fines.....
Last week I parked in a 15 min. spot for Amanda's gym class. I thought it was just a sign the building manager had put up and I've parked there before and didn't get into trouble. Well, I was taught a lesson that day. It is def. a city sign and I got a $15 ticket. So, this week I took the girls with me to the police station to pay my fine. Amanda asked what we were doing. I told her that I had gotten a parking ticket for parking in the wrong spot. I told her that I wasn't following the rules like I was supposed to and got in trouble. Then, we went to the Y and I worked out while they played in the kids play area. About an hour later I picked them up and we went back to the car and were driving down to Amanda's gym. She asked where we were going. I said, "We are going to your gymnastics class." And, she asked, "Are you going to follow the rules this time?" I giggled and said, "Yes, I'll follow the rules this time." ERRRrrrrrrr!!!!!

Check out my Slide Show!

Story time!

Another cute Amanda story. Let me know if you get tired of hearing them....on second thought, don't. I like telling them. :0)

Any who....We were driving over the bridge to go to swimming lessons and I was thinking out loud that I thought Dave and I should start shopping for a new car. Amanda asked why I drove a car and Dad drove a truck. Then I explained that my SUV wasn't a car, yadda, yadda, yadda. Then, I said I would really love to have a mini-van. We had one when I was in high school and we loved it. Amanda said, "A mini-van. That's so silly." I said, "Why's that so silly." I was insulted by my 3 year old! She says, "If you have a mini-van, then Daddy has a Mickey Truck." So, funny. They take everything so literally.

That reminds me of the time we went camping with some friends and their son (who was about 3 or 4 at the time) was helping his mother to play cards. When it was her turn she said, "OK, draw a card." He said, "OK, but I don't have any paper or a pen." Then, later he was in the camper calling for his mother. When she went in to see what he wanted, he couldn't think of what he called her for. So, she got tired of waiting for him to tell her and said, "Come on, spit it out." With total exasperation he says, "I don't have anything in my mouth!" Kids are so funny!

Below you will see a slide show of the pic's we took at the county fair. We went to two dif. ones this year. So, I will be posting those pic's later. Enjoy!

Check out my Slide Show!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

(This picture is of Amanda showing off her turkey. She got to make this project after sleeping in her own bed for 7 nights in a row. For the longest time she would sleep just fine, but then this spring the birds started waking her up at 4 am and she would either get us up, or try to sleep with us. So, I went to the craft store and bought a bunch of $1 crafts and when she completes her chart, she gets to pick what craft she wants to do. It has worked great. )

I stole the title to this post from my sis in law...thanx Lori. :0)

Dave was out of town yesterday, and when he called to tell me he made it to his destination all right. He told me a story about Amanda that he had forgotten to tell me earlier.

One morning while they were up early eating breakfast (one of those days that I took advantage of Daddy getting up early, so I could sleep in) Amanda got Dave's attention..."Daddy, don't, " Smack, Smack ( she makes the sound with her mouth wide open, showing all the food in her mouth) "nobody wants to hear that!" She does pay attention when I tell her to eat with her mouth closed! Yay! Now, maybe between the two of us we can get Dave to listen. Oh, that story makes Dave look like a neanderthal, he really does have very good table manners, he just slips up everyonce in a while. I'm sure I do to.

Don't box me in.

It's just amazing how much money we spend on toys as a society, when in reality the best toy in the world is a beat up old cardboard box. My girls have so much fun playing in them. As you can see in my slide show.

Sorry, it's been so long since I've written. We've just been a little bit busy and I just haven't made the time to write. But, I'm back... :0)

Some cute stories,

After Amanda's 2nd day in school, I found out from one of her teachers that she had been playing in their rice sand box. And, she was pretending it was a farm. The teacher said that Amanda was telling them all about how her Grandma and Grandpa used to have a farm and that her Daddy used to live there, too. Then as we were leaving the parking lot, Amanda told me they sang Old McDonald Had a Farm. (I'm guessing that's why she told them all about G-Ma and G-Pa's farm) Then I said "Can you sing it to me?" And, Amanda says, "Mom, that's a school song, not a car song." Oh, well, OK, fine. :0)

The other night, Dave was getting Amanda ready for bed. While she was picking out stories to read, he decided to go to the bathroom. Being 3 years old and not knowing what privacy is, Amanda walked in on him. Of course, Dave was going as only boys can. Amanda looked at him and said "Why do boys pee like that, Daddy?" Not really wanting to explain male/female anatomy and how and why it works the way it does, Dave said, "I don't know, they just do." Then, Amanda said, "When I get bigger and get a spout like you, I can pee standing up, too. Just like a girl/boy." Tee-Hee!

Now, not to leave Sarah out, here's a update on her antics. Her stories aren't quite as humorous, but still cute. She's really becoming quite a climber. She's beat Amanda on the ladder by about 6 mos., she climbs on the couch and into her highchair now. She's trying to give me heart attacks. She's really trying to communicate now. She nods and shakes her head no. She points and now says Sishy for Fishy and Sissy. She says "No, no, no" and Da for Amanda. Now, I know I'm not supposed to compare the girls, but.....I just can't get over how very dif. they are. At this age Amanda had over 50 words in her vocab. but, she wasn't as phys. as Sarah. Amanda was always very sensitive...if you raised your voice at all toward her, she would dissolve in tears (still does), Sarah could care less. The other day, she was reaching for something (prob. a knife) on the dinning room table and I slapped the table really hard and said no. She just looked at me for a half a second and kept on reaching. I could tell Amanda not to do something and she would almost always never bother whatever it was again. Yeah, I bet you could guess that doesn't happen with Sarah. I knew it was too much to ask to have two obedient children. But, I have to say, I think we do have two very good girls and I wouldn't ask for anything more. I just love them so much I can't stand it.

Check out my Slide Show!

9/11

Never forget those lost.
Never forget those who served.
Never forget those serving.
God Bless.

Amanda's first day of school

Well, Amanda had her first day yesterday. It went very well! I was thinking I may have to go in with her. She kept asking me if I was going to go with her. But, when we got there, a teacher from another room took her under her wing until her teacher came out. At Amanda's preschool, the teachers meet each child at their car and then all walk into the class at the same time. Amanda was the first one there. As I was pulling away, I could hear the teacher say, "Wave bye-bye." When I looked into the rear view mirror, I could see Amanda waving and looking around with an expression on her face like....What am I waving at. :0) But, she wasn't crying. Yay!

When I picked her up 2 hours later, I was first in line. I'm not sure how I became first both times, I'm usually late to everything. :0) But, when the bell rang, here they all came holding hands. Then Amanda saw my car and she burst into a huge grin and yelled "Mommy, I missed you!" Aaahhhh, melt my heart. She did great, but getting info out of her describing her day was like pulling teeth. As the evening progressed, she would tell me a little more and a little more. So, I got a good idea what she did. So, nosy mom got her fix. :0)

Here are some pic's of Amanda right before we left the house to go to school. She was so proud and kept saying "Take a pic. of this and take a pic. of that!" So, cute.

Here's the whole outfit. When I asked Amanda what she wanted to wear, she said a dress. That's when I realized, she doesn't have many dresses. She has a lot of skirts, but not many dresses. Hmmmm, I guess that means I need to go shopping....oh, darn. :0)

This is what happens when you have swim lessons and preschool on the same day. Poor kid was wiped out...Even when Sarah was screaming and poking her, she didn't wake up.

Preschool open house

On Wed. we had Amanda's preschool open house. They didn't do much other than meet the teacher and get a tour of the school. It was cute when they took her to see where the bathroom was. Very excitedly I heard her say "I can reach that!" :0) I think she was talking about the sink. I filled out a bunch of paperwork while Dave and the girls looked around. I really like her teacher, she's more of an organized, stay on top of it teacher. I've heard the other teacher is a bit of a flake. I thought the more structured teacher would be better for Amanda. She already has experience with a flaky mom, now let's see how she handles structure. :0)

Below is the school picture they took a few weeks ago. I think it turned out pretty good. This was obviously before the hair cut, but the photographer did a good job. Miss Elaine, Amanda's teacher, also took a pic. when the kids walked in. That way they could have a pic in their cubby so they know which one is theirs.

I was going to go to school with Amanda the first day, but the teacher discouraged me from doing that. She feels it's easier to make a clean break. But, I think I'll play it by ear. I'll follow Amanda's lead. I asked her about it the other day, and she seemed fine, but then started acting worried that the teacher may put her on the school bus when they are done. I told her only people who made special arrangements ride the bus. I was going to pick her up every day. Don't worry. That seemed to calm her down. Should be interesting.

Here's Amanda standing right outside her preschool. She's so excited. I hope she makes lots of friends and really enjoys being there.

Amanda and Sarah playing in the kitchen area of the preschool. Right before I took this picture, Amanda came up to me and said "I want to do something." So, I told her to go play with the little girl in the kitchen. She had fun and I'm hoping that will help her want to go on her own on Mon.

The Hair Cut

Well, it had to be done. Amanda had her first professional haircut the other day. I have been just trimming the ends for awhile now. But, with swimming lessons, her hair got really fried. So, I went to a pro to have the ends all chopped off before school started. When you look at the pic's keep in mind...I did not color her hair! I can't believe how much just cutting a few inches off can affect the color of her hair. I was afraid she wouldn't like it shorter, but now that I'm not pulling her hair out every morning trying to brush thru all the snarls, she really likes it. Whewww!

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Post No. 50!

I just noticed...this is my 50th post. Yay me! I stuck to something. Wa-who!

Now on to some stories:

Yesterday we were on our way to gymnastics. As we were crossing the river, we saw a train. Amanda noticed there were 3 plane fuselages on it. She said: Mom, there's the train! It has planes on it!
Me: It sure does. They are going to make new planes out of them.
A: How?
M: They just make new planes out of them. (I don't know how...they just do, right? :0) )
A: Mo-om, Trains can't make planes! they don't have any hands!
----Geez Mom, I think to myself, don't you know anything!----

Amanda has this bad habit of hitting or pushing Sarah. I don't think she realizes that it hurts people to do that.

So, one day last week, I was on the phone with Dave and out of the corner of my eye, I see Amanda smack Sarah on the back of the head 3 times. Having had it with the warnings, I decided to show her how it feels to be smacked in the head with no warning. So, I reached over and smacked her on the side of the head. (Now before you call CPS on me...you should know that when we are playing and I thump her on the bumm, I hit harder than I hit her in the head) Oohhh, the surprise on her face! Then, I asked her how she liked being hit out of nowhere. Well, needless to say a few tears had to be dealt with. I felt a little bad, but I'm so sick of Sarah getting picked on by Amanda. I will not tolerate bully's. In fact, this reminds me of another "bully" story...

I had caught Amanda pushing Sarah down when I wasn't looking or so she thought. I told her not to do that it wasn't nice. I said if I caught her doing it again, I would push her down. Let her see how it feels to have someone bigger picking on her. Hmph! Then, i went back to washing the dishes. Well, that little stinker started saying "I'm going to push down Sarah. I'm going to push down Sarah." I warned "Don't you do it. You'll be sorry!"

Well, that little brat did it! She didn't just push Sarah once. NO! That didn't push Sarah to the ground. In the time it took for me to dry my hands, Amanda had pushed Sarah 3 times to get her to fall down. Aahhh! I was so mad. After I dried my hands, I walked right up to her and without a word, I pushed her to the ground. (I felt so bad, but it had to be done) Oh, boy did the waterworks start! But, you know what? After a good talk about how she felt and how she thought Sarah might have felt when she got pushed down (or hit), she hasn't done either since. Now, if I could just figure out how to stop the screaming at each other. :0) Aahhh, sisters.

Sarah has been so cute. She's trying to teach herself how to wink. I do it to her and then she squints up her eyes and blinks really hard. She's also started trying to spin in circles. But, she's not very good at it. She does it really slow and then falls on her rumpus all the time. One thing she's very good at is climbing. Oh, boy! This girl is going to give me heart attacks. She has no fear AT ALL! She climbs the ladder on our play structure and now she's trying to climb all our furniture. Aaaahhhh!!!!