Santa

This visit to Santa has become one of my favorites of the holiday season. If you are ever in Ames on a Tuesday evening around the holidays, you must go visit Santa on Cullen Drive. The set up gets better every year with more detail and lights. Plus, local photographers are scheduled to take your pictures for FREE, all you have to do is donate non-perishable items for the local food pantry.

My mom and I took the girls after Emma's gymnastics class on a cold (like 10 degrees and windy) evening and waited in line with all the other excited little kids until it was our turn. Let me tell you, I was totally prepared for a meltdown from Maggie. Guess what? She proved me wrong and did awesome! Emma did too and when asked what she wants, she answered "Everything princess". Thanks a lot, Disney.

Fall Wrap Up

Wow, what an incredibly fast/busy, but incredible fall we had. I had full intentions on writing this post prior to our Florida vacation, but......life. Life happened and this blog got put on the back burner. So for now, enjoy pictures of how we spent our fall months.

We made it to the first two home football games. Or at least tailgating and a little bit of the actual game.

Emma was Nana's road trip buddy as they headed to Nebraska for a special weekend that included spending the day with uncle Blake at Vala's.

We did our annual pumpkin patch trip to Berry Patch Farms.

Another yearly tradition, hand painted pumpkins from Nana. This year's theme: Paw Patrol!

Grandma and Grandpa made a visit and got to go with the girls and Matt to Boo with Zew over at Vet Med.

Carved a pumpkin for the first time since having kids, just in time for Halloween the next day. Emma loved it!

Followed by trick-or-treating with dear friends, the Rutherfords and Lickteigs. Also known as Parent's Club. Thanks to my mom and dad for hosting us for dinner!

Enjoyed an unusually warm November with a bonfire that included roasting marshmallows and ghost stories.

We know fall is truly over when basketball season is officially upon us.

Now bring on the holidays and winter months!
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Maggie: 18 Months

Likes/Dislikes: Maggie is really good at letting us know what she doesn't like. Puckers her lips out in distaste, says no while holding her hand out to "stop", ha! She is not a fan of Emma or my parent's dogs invading her personal space, when people eat her food and telling her no or disciplining her. Maggie hasn't really been disciplined too much (2nd child problems) and she gets absolutely devastated when we are stern with her and tell her no, or put her in timeout. Meanwhile, she is loving anything Frozen and Paw Patrol. She also likes playing with baby dolls, kitchen set, playing doctor and bouncing her booty/spinning.

Development: Her imagination has really grown as she plays kitchen and baby dolls with Emma. It is so cute to watch them play together and make believe. Maggie has always been a big talker, but boy has her vocabulary expanded leaps and bounds. She repeats everything and for the most part, is pretty clear in what she says. We can ask her things and she responds with preference. She also can hum and/or sing songs like Twinkle Twinkle, Let It Go and Itsy Bitsy Spider. In fact, at her 18 month well check, Dr. Patten said her vocabulary is "advanced". At this same appointment, she weighed in at 30.6 pounds and 34 inches in height. 98% in height, weight and head circumference! We have a well proportioned girl!

Sleeping: Still going to bed around 6:45 p.m. and waking about 6:30.....or earlier if big sister is being loud. She's still taking two naps a day and while we cut Emma of her two naps a day at 19 months, I am not sure when we will do that for Maggie. There are days she seems like she really needs two and others where one may be enough.

Eating: After cutting her canines and then a bout of tonsillitis, Mags is back to eating normally again, including fruit. There's not much she doesn't like or won't try.

These are the Days

These are the days. We are living them. Right. Now. Some day, we are going to want this back. Because I already want this specific night back. Even though this is the busiest time of our lives, I am trying to stop and take in what is happening around us, not speeding through life or wishing any phases away. Instead, enjoying the moment....as crazy as it may be. 

Emma's 1st Day of Pre-3

Last week, Emma started her first year of pre-school and she is absolutely loving it so far.

While we don't think three year pre-school is/was necessary, we decided to give it a try. It gives Emma a chance to go with Milo and Jared from Miss Amanda's, my mom a bit of a break and 1:1 time with Maggie and some structure/discipline for Emma from someone other than us and my mom :)

From what we can gather, her favorite time of the day is playing with baby dolls and snack time.

Maggie: Sixteen Months

Likes/Dislikes: Maggie is still such a cuddle bug, loving to everyone and so good at making people smile with her big grins and baby blues. She's really getting into baby dolls, trying to do somersaults like big sister, playing doctor and kitchen. She's not a fan of being told no, people (or dogs) getting in her way (yells at us to GO!) cutting teeth, ear drops and getting randomly pinched by Emma.

Development: These last couple months have been huge for Mags and it has been so much fun to see her grow and learn new things. The biggest development since our last update is that she started walking shortly after turning 14 months. Always the cautious one, she is finally really starting to feel easy about it all and walking with more confidence and getting quicker. She is such a big talker....big time. She repeats everything and is really clear in her words. She can say: pease (please), mo (more), mommy, daddy, mma (Emma), Nana, Papa, I-yee (Rylee), ank ew (thank you), et it go (let it go), bubble, no, go, uh-oh, puppy....the list goes on and on. It's fun to see Emma recognize and get excited over Maggie's vocabulary too. She holds up one finger when we ask how old she is and raises her hands when asked how big she is. A painful development she is going through is cutting three of her four canines in 12 days with one more that is close behind. Emma has always cut her teeth all at once in such short spans and while it is BRUTAL for all, I just keep reminding myself that at least the process isn't getting dragged on. She's also developed her second ear infection since getting tubes in June.

Sleeping: Nothing has changed on the sleeping front. Still going to bed around 6:45 p.m. and waking about 6:30 or 7:00 a.m. She is oh so cuddly when getting tired and we adore that time. We know she is ready for bed when she starts rubbing her eyes and playing with her pony tail. She has done this since she was about six months and plays with it as she is falling asleep in her crib too. Also still taking two naps a day.

Eating: Cutting her molars and now her canines have thrown Maggie's eating off a bit. She now randomly won't eat fruit or foods she normally eats. Kind of picks around, but if we have a cartoon on to distract her, she will eat more.

Emma's Birthday Celebration

It has been over a month now since we celebrated Emma's third birthday, and with a little nudging from my mom, I'm finally getting around to posting about it.

We celebrated a few days early with a Doc McStuffins themed family dinner at my parent's house with Uncle Blake making the trip back for it. For the last six months prior, Emma would tell everyone she wanted a Doc birthday cake. So that's exactly what Nana made her.

She got many Doc toys and accessories, clothes and some money for her piggy bank.

On her actual birthday, we went as a family to Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast and then took her to see her first movie (Finding Dory) that afternoon.

Emma: Be gentle on us this next year. Twos were a roller coaster and we have heard that threes are even more so!

Emma: Three

Our sweet and sassy Emma turned three last month and somehow over the last six months, she turned more and more into a little girl, less like a toddler. She is such an imaginative, loving, sincere, inquisitive and spunky girl and we are enjoying watching her grow.

Likes/Dislikes: I always say Emma is all girl in terms of her love of her baby dolls, dressing up and playing pretend (especially playing doctor). She loves animals, being outside, swimming, her friends, Paw Patrol, Frozen, Doc McStuffins, doing somersaults and bossing Maggie around. It wasn't until the last couple months that I realized she is totally my child: she likes to know everything that is going on, is very particular about certain things, is very motherly, wears her heart on her sleeve and needs space when upset. But at the same time, she looks like her dad and has his silly personality. She's not a fan of sharing with Maggie but does just fine with others.

Development: At her three year appointment, she came in at 3'2 (80th percentile) and 29.9 pounds (39the percentile). She has struggled with some GI issues and after meeting with a specialist and a few trips to the doctor, we are relieved to know she doesn't have Celiacs. We will follow up again in October and re-evaluate if issues are still persistent. Health aside, she is growing leaps and bounds in her language and pronunciation. I still laugh at how silly I was a year ago at this time thinking she would be mute.

Common sayings: 

• "I don't know" or "Nuffing (nothing)" 
• "I love you so much. To the moon and back, forever and always"
• "No fair"
• "That's interesting"
• "I remember that"
• "I'm a good helper"
• "Time for your checkup. Check your ear, nose, mouth, reflexes"
• "I a big girl and Maggie a little girl"

Sleeping: Emma's still going to bed between 7:15-7:30 p.m. and waking between 6:00-6:30 a.m. Stalling at bedtime is probably her favorite routine, ha. Seriously, this can drive anyone bonkers and to the end of their rope. We went months of it taking 15-60 minutes with multiple trips back there. Now, after a month of awesomeness and only having to go back once, we are back to having to go in there three times a night. But, I know it could be much, much worse. I do loathe though when people try suggesting moving her bedtime back and maybe it would help with stalling or her sleeping later. Nope, doesn't work. It's the same issue going to bed no matter when it is and she always wakes up at the same time, regardless of when she goes to bed. Cutting out a nap isn't an option either because she (and us) need it. So she naps anywhere from an hour and a half to two and a half hours every day.

Eating: We have hit a rough patch in Emma's eating too the last couple of months. She just doesn't eat that much any more other than at breakfast. We have cut out the amount of snacking she does and that still doesn't help. There are meals that she literally just picks at and eats a few things and then some that she will ask for more. She will always eat fruit, breakfast items, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, pasta and sweet corn.

{E}: Three Year Pictures

To you, everything's funny

You got nothing to regret

I'd give all I have honey

If you could stay like that

Oh darling don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up

Just stay this little