These are the days of our lives....

My mom came over Tuesday and we walked to Lindsey's preschool to pick her up. She was so excited to see nana and we had a leisurely stroll back home. Lindsey's teacher said that Lindsey is coming out of her shell and talking up a storm! Lindsey has also been a lot nicer to her sister this past week -my prayers have been answered!!!
I got to go shopping at the JBF pre-sale and got a bunch of super cute clothes for the girls. I spent 75 bux and got a ton of clothes and a hippity-hop ball for Lindsey to bounce on - she loves it!
Mackenzie clapped her hands all by herself tonight!!! She's also been playing peek-a-boo a bunch and standing"up" and "down" when we say "up" - "down".
I need to take Mackenzie back to the doc 'cause she's still pulling at her ears and kinda being fussier than normal. She's gnawing on the raspberry pacifier quite a bit - never thought I'd spend 7 bucks on a pacifier, but it has definitely come in handy. So I don't know if it's just teething or if she has an ear infection - calling the doctor manana!!!

Lindsey helped me make cookies tonight - she was a big helper and a big cookie monster!!!

Weekend

We had a really nice weekend together. Jeff's parents came over on Saturday and stayed the night. The girls loved seeing their nana and papaw crowder. Lindsey was a little shy at first, but then got super silly. She thought papaw's beard and mustache were pretty interesting.
Sunday there was a chili cookout at the church. We all went and ate lots of yummy chili. Well, Lindsey grazed on sweets. :) There were kites for the kiddos to fly and the wind was just perfect. Jeff got lots of kudos for helping with the lawn at church - he said he liked helping with the yard work at the church, and it makes me happy that he's participating in church in his own way.
October is coming up and it's going to be crazy busy!!!!!

What A Week!

Wow - the end of September has been crazy busy and October looks like it's gonna be crazier!!!
Lindsey is still enjoying pre-school. The toughest issue in our house right now is the fighting/screaming that Lindsey has toward her sister. Sometimes she can be very sweet, but lots of the time, I have to remind Lindsey to not shout or snatch toys away from her sister. I know she's only 2, but I want her to be a nice little girl.
Thursday was a great day. Lindsey had a great time at school and then afterward, we went to Freckles to get ice cream. They have a wall painted with chalkboard paint, so she got to color after she ate her cone. I was in heaven...sitting with my girls in an ice cream parlor...everybody getting along...no fussing...no screaming. :) Mackenzie has started to play with the walker toys. She has been standing up on her own since a couple days before 8 months, but hasn't taken that first step. Maybe the walker toys will help.
Today, Friday, I hosted a potluck breakfast at our house. It was really nice...lots of moms and kiddos showed up and we had a ton of food. The kids all played pretty well together...they were upstairs and outside and in the food. At one point, there were 6 little girls sitting at the new craft table upstairs playing play-doh. I couldn't believe how quietly and pleasantly they were playing. :)
Tonight, we just went to the neighborhood pond and park. Lindsey and Jeff caught only a couple fish and then Lindsey wanted to play at the park. Mackenzie was interested in the ducks.
Tomorrow, Nana and Papa Crowder are coming to town. I bet they'll wanna go fishing too....

This is why I wanted to marry your dad...

He's the funniest guy!
Tonight, Lindsey and Jeff were playing "I got your nose." Jeff would pretend to take Lindsey's nose and throw it across the room. She caught on to the game and started to "find" her nose at various places in the house. She then started taking Jeff's nose on and off his face. :) They did this for at least 20 minutes.
Jeff then decided to "hide" his leg. We have an old friend from college who had a crazy uncle named uncle peanut. Well, uncle peanut used to hide his leg by bending it backwards in his pant leg so it looked like he only had half a leg.
Anywho, we were all enjoying daddy's humor and enjoying each other. In the pictures, Jeff is asking Lindsey where his leg went. I'm sure Jeff will bust out the "uncle peanut" another day when the girls will really appreciate it. :)

Painting with Peaches

Zoo Fun

It was a gorgeous fall day at the zoo (Maggie, Michael, and Kayle)

Week in Review

What a nice week we had with nana here!
Today we topped off the week by going to the zoo. The weather was absolutely gorgeous!
Hopefully I will get a couple pics from some of the moms in the club since I forgot to bring the camera.
Thursday, my mom and I drove to Jenks to wander the antique stores. Lots of fun!
Oh, and my mom watched the girls and the neighbor boys (Mason and Macallen) so Peggy and I could go to dinner. So nice!!! It was a great week even though Jeff was gone. We're all ready for Jeff to get home!!! I'm sure he's ready too.
Wednesday, Lindsey and I went to the Y to swim. There was hardly anybody there so it was nice to have the place to ourselves! LIndsey really enjoyed herself and we had great time just the 2 of us.
I'm trying to remember backwards....I don't remember what we did the other days. MOnday we took the girls to the new Mcdonald's playground where they both had fun. that's all i remember now. :)
Ok, I'm getting off the computer. :)

After Bath

Block Party

Lindsey & Mason

Lindsey & neighbor Macy

The block party was really nice - got to visit with the people we live closest too, but don't always talk to. Oh, and someone brought the best darn coleslaw/salad with raisins, sunflowers, and ramen noodles....so good!!! A policman came by and the firemen came by in their fire truck and talked with the kids and let the kids crawl all over the truck and sound the sirens!!!

Nana is here!!!

Since Jeff is in Michigan again for more training, nana is here!!!! The girls and I are loving it! Nana has cleaned the house from top to bottom and all the laundry is done. Jeff and I are always joking that nana always has every appliance turned on when she's at our house - she did have the oven self-cleaning, the dishwasher and the laundry all going at the same time. :)
I got to take Lindsey to playgroup by herself which was really great. we went to the new mcdonald's last night for dinner and both girls enjoyed playing on the indoor playground. kenzie was right in there with the rest of the kids...climbing up the little slide....she's standing up really well, but hasn't taken that first step yet. tomorrow we may try to find some antique stores or second-hand stores in tulsa...i wanna find some home decorations.
kenzie and i went to baby playgroup this morning while lindsey was at pre-school. tonight we just went to the pond and fed the ducks...it was sprinkling a little but not enough to keep lindsey off the swings! nice day - YEa!!! i am very thankful.
ok, now i really need to get off the computer and finish my book. Night!

Good Morning

We had a great morning!!!
Jeff went to the church to help mow the grass.
The girls and I just went to the bank and to the grocery store. Pretty mundane errands, but Lindsey was in a great mood!!!!
When we got to Reasor's, all the car shopping carts were gone, so Lindsey picked out one of those littler carts to push around. I thought it was going to be a huge disaster, but she was such a big girl!!! She followed me all over the store and we put all the groceries in her cart. She didn't run into anything or anyone and listened to me really well. She put all the groceries on conveyor belt like she was checking out all by herself...it was so cute. Mackenzie was happy to watch from her car seat. When we got home, Lindsey helped me put away all the groceries....no tantrums, no struggles...just a really nice morning.
The girls are napping now and tonight we're going to the block party on our street. Last year it rained, but that didn't stop us. Lindsey had so much fun splashing in the puddles and running around in the rain with the neighbor girls. I made brownies to take tonight, but they are quickly disappearing...I might have to take something else!!!!!

Terrible Twos

So, right now I'm thinking that I'll end up on the show "Super Nanny", 'cause I've got a toddler out of control...
Lindsey started preschool last week and has now been 4 times. When I pick her up, she looks so happy and I can tell she's had a really good time. The teachers say she's really good too.
But then, right when she gets in the car, it's like she turns into a little monster. I'm thinking that she feels like she's been good at school, so now she needs to get her "act out" fix.
Everything from getting in her car seat, to changing her diaper, washing her hands, being nice to Mackenzie...it's all a huge struggle. I know parenting is difficult, but come on!!!! throw me a bone!
So tonight, I thought maybe Lindsey needed some one on one time and I wanted to be the one to take her to the zoo for some fun. Well, so much for my grand idea. She wouldn't listen, she didn't want to walk by me, hold my hand, ...you name it. She got into a bouncy house and refused to get out. I climbed in and got her out myself. We should have left then, but we stayed. She minded a little better after that 'cause I sat her down and gave her a talkin' to. :)
she is such a great girl, but her behavior lately toward me and jeff has been very testy...pushing every button imaginable.
well, everyone is in bed now - thank goodness tomorrow is another day. a fresh start. i'll be praying for patience tonight.
jeff and kenzie had a nice evening.

9-9-09

Mackenzie is 9 months today - i can't believe it.
Yesterday, she was doing "up" and "down" with me....I would go up and say "up" and she would copy me and when I said "down" she would go down. We did this for about 5 minutes when she got up from her nap...she was holding on to the crib bars - up, down, up, down...so cute.
Lindsey shared part of her banana with Mack yesterday. (I wanna make sure I take note of the times LIndsey is nice to her sister). :)
Today we've been to the library where both girls enjoyed storytime and we brought home a lot of books to read.
Mackenzie loves to be chased and loves playing with her sister...even though Lindsey isn't the most amiable playmate. :)
Mackenzie still growls when she eats something she really likes. She's still standing up, but doesn't seem interested to cruise or walk. Oh, but she likes crawling up those stairs....started that a few days ago and if she's left alone for more than 30 seconds...she zips right on over to those stairs. I forgot all the stuff 9-month-olds get in to...light sockets, blinds, trash, toilet...oh and she likes to turn the water on in the bathtub. have i mentioned she's also taken off every door stopper in the house? :) And the picture up top...she's figured out how to turn the water on in the master bath.

Labor Day Weekend

Elizabeth and Lindsey playing tackle.

Grace and Lindsey were giggling about going down the slide backwards.

Jeff had four days off for the Labor Day Weekend! Woo hoo!
It was really relaxing and we got to spend time with good friends for which we are so thankful.
The Donnelly's came over one night and we ate and played outside the whole time. The dad is allergic to cats, so he couldn't come inside. :) And then we went over to the Hoy's (who also have 2 girls close to Lindsey's and Mack's age) and they made a fantastic dinner. We ate like kings! All the girls enjoyed playing in their awesome backyard.
I wish all weekends were like that!

Bowling

Jeff took Lindsey bowling on Friday 'cause it was free.
They had a blast!
Lindsey was so excited to tell me all about the bowling alley, pins, balls, etc. Oh yeah, and apparently, she fell down 'cause she crossed the line (literally and figuratively). :) Jeff told her that she had to roll/push the ball (which she said was REALLY heavy) without going over the line....and of course, LIndsey being Lindsey, she went past the line, slipped onto the oily alley and conked her head pretty good. She's ok...they had a great time.
I love this outfit of Lindsey's...it's a 3T, but it still fits and I'm hoping she can wear it a few more times this fall.

Stair master

I think there is a picture of me climbing stairs at my grandparent's house...30+ years ago...very deja vu. :)

The other day, we put Mackenzie at the bottom of the stairs...and guess what she did? She zoomed right up those stairs all the way to the top!!!
I couldn't believe it. Well, yes I can. Lindsey has always been physically active, and now Mackenzie is following suit. She was so excited when she got to the top!!!

Preschool

Lindsey's first day of preschool was today!!! When I picked her up, I could just tell she had had a good time. She was happy to see me, but she was also excited to tell me about her day...played outside...music class...and then she talked about some things I couldn't decipher. :) I'm so happy she had fun...hopefully this will be the norm. :)
I got to mop the floors - with my new Shark - while the girls were napping. Well, they're still napping actually. :) Yeah! Lindsey was tuckered out from her full day and Mackenzie only got about a 15-minute nap this morning 'cause we went to her playgroup...which I think she really enjoyed. She doesn't get to see a lot of other babies...she plays a lot with her sister and that's about the only interaction she gets. So, I'm happy Mack enjoyed playtime as well.
Ok, I hear a door opening...there's one of my girls!!! Lindsey just figured out how to open the doors!! Gotta go for now.