Valentine girls

Just a quick peek of our "attempted" Valentine's pictures late this afternoon. My little ladies don't make it easy for me : ) Jim isn't the best assistant either, but he tried ; )

I am saving the one and only photo of the two of them together for the Valentine's Day cards for the family.

A Princess and her Ladybug

From Princess to bug lover. Yes, my little princess loves her critters so much. It is ladybug season in our house again and for the last couple of mornings Sydney has been on the lookout. Yesterday morning she found a couple in our bathroom. She pretty much carried that bug around for hours yesterday.

Here are a few photos of her right after she woke up and found the ladybug. She was telling me a ladybug story.

Silly girl

Partaking in mischievous behaviors may not occur to some toddlers like my Sydney girl... Sawyer on the other hand... mischievous should have been her middle name.

Sydney and I were on our way home from swim lessons this morning when I called home to ask Jim if he needed anything. He told me that Sawyer had just stuck a piece of playdoh up her nose and he was trying to get it out. There is a first time for everything! She was in no distress whatsoever. In fact, she was opening the cupboard asking for Goldfish and then pointed in her nose and said playdoh! Jim went to work trying to "fish" it out. The boogie sucker was unsuccessful so he finally taught her how to blow her nose. Out pops the playdoh.

Jim saved the piece of playdoh for me : ) He thought I might want to take a photo!!

Coloring a heart

Sydney loves to color pictures. She can sit on and off for hours coloring in her coloring books or drawing pictures.

Ice cream

Soybean takes imaginary play one step too far! Yuck!

Magic Carpet Ride

On some evenings Daddy will put a blanket on the floor and the kids will jump on. He drags them all around the floors and they have so much fun. I guess Sydney thought her Barbie dolls might like to take a ride too!

Lipstick

Sawyer really likes my burts bees lipstick. She is getting better about getting it on her lips and not all over her face!

Mommy's Hat

Sawyer stole my hat! I think she looks adorable! I wish I looked that cute in it. My precious little lady.

Playroom fun

Daddy had an evening dinner with clients this particular night so the girls and I had a quiet night in the playroom. They are thoroughly enjoying all the wonderful new toys they got for Christmas.

Little people. Sydney's favorite! First she sets them up nice and straight and then....

she tucks them in with their blanket!

Studying

While Sawyer is napping during the afternoon, Sydney and I spend some time "studying." This usually means pulling out her alphabet puzzle, flash cards, puzzles and lots of books. I love working with her as she tries to learn her letters. She is currently studying shapes at school so I use flash cards at home to reinforce what she has already learned. I very much enjoy this time with her and I love watching her learn. She has taken a real interest in the written word lately and will often ask me to write her name and Sawyer's name on paper.

I plan to hit the craft store this week to buy more construction paper and glue and really delve into some projects with her. We might as well have fun while she learns!

This is also a major practice in patience for me as 3.5 year olds don't always have the longest attention span! Sydney included!

Anyone have any suggestions on websites or books with good crafting ideas or good methods for teaching young toddlers??

Lady Bug Friend

Sydney found a ladybug friend and carried it around all evening after her bath. She even tucked herself in to mommy and daddy's bed and took a rest while holding the ladybug. Needless to say, that night I checked the sheets for a lost lady bug, just in case.

More Ski Photos

Ski Babies

Papa and Grandma taught Teddy to ski when he was Sawyer's age. Now he is an expert skier. Papa decided it was time to get our girls acclimated to skiing. Daddy and Papa originally planned to go to a local mountain to take the girls out, but then we decided to try out the driveway and yard first. They did wonderfully to say the least. Papa came the night before and introduced them to the ski boots which they thought were so cool. Then he showed them their skis and they were hooked. The next morning we got them bundled up and headed out to the driveway. We were amazed at how well they did and how much fun they had doing it. Sydney let go of Papa a couple of times and slid on the driveway by herself. It was so fun to see.

Here are a few pictures. The late morning sun was so bright, but I got what I could.

My little ski babies. Thanks to Papa for the first ski lesson!

Digging Out

Almost 250 feet of driveway to snow blow. Poor guy.

I must confess...

I got sucked into watching an episode of The Bachelor the other day. I know! Seriously. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate drama and catty behavior. Can there be anything more dramatic and catty than The Bachelor????? Please stop judging. Anyway, the girls were in the playroom perfectly content to be coloring and playing with Critters. I sat down to the DVR and watched the episode. In between playing, Sydy would come in to visit with me. She sat on my lap and watched the ending of the show with me. The pathetic "Rose Ceremony." Where the guy hands out roses to the women he wants to keep on the show. Really pathetic.

Anyway, after the show was over, I was in the kitchen getting something to drink when Sydy walks up to me and says "I want a flower." I busted out laughing and she got a big smile on her face. I called Daddy to tell him the story and he said he would buy the girls a flower.

True to his word, he brought home a pink rose for each of the girls tonight. Sydy was very excited! The girls thought the flowers smelled really good!

The Learning Tower

I have been dying to get this wonderful thing called The Learning Tower ever since I went to my friend's house and saw how much her daughter uses hers. It is a wonderful thing to have for kids who like to be involved in the kitchen. I love it when the girls want to help me cook or bake and now they have a safe place to stand while doing so. Thanks to Grammy for the Christmas money which helped us buy the tower.

The tower came the other day and stood in the mudroom for all to see for a few days. Sydney kept asking for Daddy to "make it for me." I told her daddy would build it for her last night and needless to say, they both spent a lot of time in it today - just playing around. Tomorrow I think we will actually put it to good use and bake some cookies!

Here is Sydney telling me a long involved story (while standing in the tower) about the princess dress and the garbage truck...don't ask!

Then she just looked at me with the funniest expression and then...
Sawyer climbed into the tower and the story was over : )

Fancy Pancakes

Jim likes to make pancakes on the weekends. I came to the table to see this nicely decorated pancake. He likes to spoil his girls in little ways.

On a side note, this was Sawyer's 3rd breakfast for the morning. The kid will eat so much food in the morning and then barely eat dinner (unless it is pizza or chicken - her two favorites).

First haircut

Sawyer got her first real haircut this morning after her bath! I have only ever had her bangs cut and a small amount trimmed in the back where it gets all nappy. I decided to even it out and trim up the natural layers that she has. She stood so nicely while snacking on her pretzels and watching a show on TV.

I think I did a pretty good job. Lucky for me, her curls hide any imperfections. I wouldn't attempt to cut Sydney's hair since it is so straight. I only cut her bangs.

Here is Soybean all trimmed up.

Happy 60th Dad!

Hope you had a fun time yesterday. Miss you!

Happy 60th!!!!

Happy Half Birthday to Sydney

Sydy turned 3.5 years old on the 6th. We celebrated with a half cake and balloon. She thought it was pretty fun

Soybean enjoyed the cake a lot!