Sunday, October 31, 2010

Trick or Treating

Taylor has known for a month that she wanted to be Sleeping Beauty or ‘sopapilla’ as it sounds like when she says it.  I don’t think this is her favorite princess but her choice since it is the one dressed in pink and pink is Taylor’s favorite color.  We had several days of celebrating since they did a Fall Festival and parade at Taylor’s school, a Halloween party with church friends tonight, and then trick-or-treating around our cul-de-sac. 

In Taylor’s class alone they had most of the Disney princesses covered.

 IMG_1401IMG_1408

Taylor adores her teachers Ms. Kim and Ms. Rosemary!  God bless these women for working with toddlers in their costumes all day!

 IMG_1417 IMG_1416

The obligatory pictures in front of the house.  Taylor has been telling me all week about how she is going to have a crown, a wand, a pretty dress, and slippers.  She will turn you into whatever princess you want to be with her wand, even if you are a boy(just ask Chris).  Plus she has been very sweet and wants to buy everyone else a costume or will tell me to go to the grocery store to buy them a certain costume.(I’m afraid that if I don’t write it down here that I will forget all these cute facts with a baby coming tomorrow.)

IMG_1423IMG_1432

Taylor enjoyed swinging on the big girl swing at the Halloween party and was telling Daddy all about it.  Another group shot and trying to get multiple kiddos to sit still and look the same direction never works out.  Pumpkin Mommy(hours away from Elizabeth’s birth) and my sweet princess!

IMG_1443IMG_1473IMG_1480

Last family photo before Elizabeth.  Army Man Daddy and Princess Taylor.  We have the sweetest neighbors who were all gathered outside to hand out candy to the kids and hot dogs to the parents.  Taylor was thrilled to go to one house and then get candy from all the neighbors gathered here.  She couldn’t wait to get back to our house to show KK, Ya-Ya, and Nana what treats she got.  KK did a great job of working with her on what to say but Taylor was a little confused when it came time for us to hand out candy to other kids.  She kept asking for her bag for candy. 

IMG_1488IMG_1489IMG_1491

The candy has been handed out, the princess dress hung back up, treat from the Halloween Fairy in place to  replace all but 3 pieces(that Taylor picked out) of candy, and final preparations for our next princess’ birth are being done.  I hope everyone had a very Happy Halloween!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Wiggle Bones

I never knew that a pair of glow-in-the-dark bones pj’s would bring so much happiness to one little girl.  Plus Chris and I got quite a few giggles out of her showing off her new pj’s.  Besides needing to wash these pj’s every other night so she can wear them again, we have to plan on turning the lights off a few times before bed so that she can do her ‘dance’.  It just makes us laugh when she dances around with these on that even PawPaw and KK got to see the dance.  I wish our camera took better video in the dark but Nana will just to have to settle for some pictures until seeing it in real person in a few days.

IMG_1367IMG_1370

Ta-da

IMG_1371IMG_1373

These are my tickle and funny bones

IMG_1375IMG_1376

Taylor Tuesday

Taylor - 'This is my tickle bone'

IMG_1375

Monday, October 25, 2010

Picture Day

I have always wanted a little girl and was so excited when we found out Taylor was a girl.  I imagined dressing her up and putting bows in her hair.  Chris does a great job of letting me dress our daughter up how I wish and doesn’t complain when I come home with more bows.  When Taylor started preschool this fall, I was so excited to hear that they would do school pictures.  I have been playing different outfits(with bows) for weeks.  Little did I know that our little girl would have her own ideas on what to wear for picture day.  After a few tears(and watching Strawberry Shortcake as a distraction) I was able to get my way on the clothing choice, but one stubborn little girl kept informing me that she wanted ‘nothing’ in her hair.  No bows, no clips, no pony tails.  Guess you can only win a few battles.

I was able to take a few photos of our girl prior to leaving for preschool.  After seeing her faces for me, I feel for the photographer and will probably be amused by what they actually got.

IMG_1340IMG_1345IMG_1365

Taylor… look at the camera

IMG_1354IMG_1358

Finally a cute picture of our sweet girl!

IMG_1363

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Catalog Living

Do you ever browse the pages of Pottery Barn and drool over how beautiful the rooms are decorated or where all the kids toys went to?  How someone had time to think of each little detail for each holiday/season?  I love looking at these catalogs too but sometimes think some of the room setups are a bit odd.  I can’t remember how I found this blog, but if you want a little bit of humor based off these lovely catalogs then check out Catalog Living.  They post something new every couple of days and it almost always brings a smile to my face or even a giggle.  I hope you enjoy it too!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Project Life Thursday

Sunday: Nothing sweeter than watching Taylor and ‘her’ Tessa cat loving on each other.

10.10

Monday: 37 weeks along with Elizabeth

10.11

Tuesday: Taylor has taken a HUGE interest in using the camera.  This is a pretty good shot she got once she understood holding the button down long enough.

10.12

Wednesday: Sometimes getting Taylor to keep clothes is not worth the battle right now.

10.13

Thursday: Elizabeth’s E(and the final decoration for her room) came in so it was time to break the spray paint out again.

10.14

Friday: Our playdate group met at the Tarrytown Methodist Church pumpkin patch.  It was so much fun watching all the kids run around amongst the pumpkins, but trying to get a group shot was near impossible.  I can’t believe our group has grown to 8 and one on the way!  We went to dinner afterwards and needed more highchairs than adult chairs and we loved every minute of it!

10.15

Saturday: Our family managed to fit 10 adults and a toddler around three small tables at Mandola’s Saturday night.  The table was filled with wonderful food, the restaurant was busy with people, and each of us filled with the love of being able to spend time together.

10.16

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Two and a half

While our house is crazy with prepping for a new baby, our baby girl is proving to not be a baby anymore and growing up more and more each day.  Taylor turned 2 1/2 last week and I loved the idea some of my friends had of interviewing our little ones.  This interview was pretty interesting since most of the questions received completely different answers than I was expecting.  Sit back and enjoy some humor from our BIG little girl.

Some of the answers I would have expected:

Names/nicknames: Taylor Girl

Favorite Food: cheesy pasta wheels or chicken and fries

Favorite Dessert: pink popsicle

In case you couldn’t understand, her baby sister’s name stated is Baby Pickle/Baby Elizabeth.  Taylor is VERY excited about becoming a big sister and shows me several times a day how she is going to hold the baby.  She also informs me all the things she is going to teach Elizabeth to do like: wash her hands, keep her panties dry, wear panties, play in her kitchen, make mashed potatoes, eat a popsicle, sleep in a big girl bed, read books, and play in the craft room.  It warms my heart to hear her want to help out so much and speaks so much about the person she is becoming.  Taylor is such a helpful member of our household and LOVES putting a napkin at everyone’s spot for dinner and has named herself the official mashed potato maker.  She even practices making the potatoes while playing in her kitchen.  Cooking has become more interesting and I look forward to her pushing a chair into the kitchen to help me assemble dinner. 

My life and daily adventures would not be the same without Taylor.  I know all our lives are about to change with the upcoming birth of Elizabeth so I am taking as many moments as possible to see her as the little girl she is before E is born.  Taylor makes my days more exciting and frustrating all at the same time.  Who would ask me to turn the music up louder, to sing with her, or if “I’m ready?” when the song starts?  Who would get so excited when we see a school bus and talk about how she will get to ride one someday?  Who would thank me each time I pick her up from school and get so excited that I came back?  Who would tell me about her day and give me a kiss on the hand as we walk to the car?  Who would tell me so excitedly that “God loves me!”?  Who would have a 30 minute drama throw down with me about what to wear or if she wants to wear shorts/pants? Who would remind me prior to nap that she is will let me know when she is done with nap by saying “Momma, I all done with my nap now”?  Sometimes you also tell me that you had ‘sweet dreams’.  Going down for nap or bedtime can be a bit of a task since you keep asking for a couple(holding up two fingers) more books and end up with enough books in your bed for a small town library.  Taylor still requires bunny with her at most times, blankie at nap/bedtime and snuggles on the couch, fishy and ocean sounds on at night/nap, and seahorse in the bed but not on.  Bunny is quite the companion but Taylor is slowly getting better at leaving him in the car or bag. 

Favorite books right now: Knuffle Bunny(she reads part of this book with me), Barbie Mermaid, Dora Mermaid, Pinkalicious, Because I’m Your Daddy

Taylorized Words/Phrase: Upavator(elevator), fA-lezz(please), bafroom(sounds like bathroom but means craftroom), uppy-side-down(upside down), nakee(naked or the wild crazy girl with just panties on), ca-ma(camera), Fancy Dancy Shoes(my red ballet flats), I do it, gobbles(safety goggles), That my Sadie dog/Tessa cat(really shown ownership of our animals in the past few months), uh-donalds(McDonalds), happy meal(any kids meal that comes with chicken nuggets and milk because it makes her happy)

<Side note: The McDonald’s thing is new because this Mommy is a million months pregnant and majorly swollen so cooking is not a priority right now.  Apples and milk balance out the chicken nuggets right???>

Quirks: loves seeing what color the soap will be and smelling her hands afterwards; often has wardrobe changes if the shirt/dress is not ‘spinny’ enough or if it does not match the color of bow she wants to wear(didn’t think I would have this problem for a few more years)

Favorite songs since music is a HUGE part of our life in this house: Stuck like Glue by Sugarland, Single Ladies(Chipmunk version) by Beyonce, ‘the na-na song’ Staying Alive(Chipmunk version), Don’t Stop Believing by Journey, and the all time recording breaking favorite…. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Taylor still loves to climb into our bed each morning and watch cartoons.  It doesn’t bother her to get me up at 6 am, but if it’s a weekend and Chris is still in bed she asks to go downstairs so she doesn’t wake him up.  It’s cute now but at 6 am I just want to climb back into bed too!  I enjoy our morning cartoon time because she becomes a snuggler and nothing is better than little girl snuggles.(unless it’s sleeping in past 6 am!)  For some reason she only really likes to snuggle with me.  Guess that will be just one of our mother-daughter things.  She has plenty of things that she only likes to do with Daddy like Lego building or playing the sleep game.  Taylor is also in love with anything pink or princess.  Disney does a great job of marketing because Taylor is drawn to anything with the princesses on it and informs me that she ‘needs’ it.  If you noticed on the video, Taylor likes to make up her own songs and often answers questions in her own language.  This had led to me often asking her to speak in English or use real words.  Another thing on the video is that she asks what I’m having.  Sometimes she also informs me that she has a baby Pickle in her tummy or a baby brother in her tummy.  More proof that she’s a goofball!

We love you crazy little girl and look forward to seeing what the next 6 months bring!(hopefully they will bring less tantrums or drama queen fits)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Taylor Tuesday

It counts as long as I actually get Taylor Tuesday out on Tuesday right???  I took Taylor to a pumpkin patch on Friday and she had so much fun running around looking at all the pumpkins and playing with her friends that sitting for a picture was not a priority.  I was able to get this one before she took off again.  Enjoy our little pumpkin cutie!

IMG_1138

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Project Life Thursday

 Sunday: Today was the first time in the past few weeks that getting dressed did not turn into a full out throw down between Taylor and I.  Plus she looked so pretty for church and is starting to look like such a big girl!

10.03

Monday: I woke up this morning and realized the lamb that Taylor brought Chris yesterday was still in the bed with us.  I think Chris enjoyed having something of hers close after being gone to a church retreat all weekend.

10.04

Tuesday:  Taylor entertained Chris, Desha, and I at dinner.  I really think it was all for Desha!

10.05

Wednesday:  I went for my 36 week ultrasound to see if Elizabeth is breech like Taylor was and she is not.  Chris and I laughed as she kept her foot up in her face the entire time.  It was so nice to get one last chance to see her sweet face and check on her health before her big Birth Day in a few weeks.  My c-section has been scheduled for November 1st at 3:00pm(39 weeks along).

10.06

Thursday: Taylor has now learned to use caring for Baby Emma as a stalling technique at naptime and bedtime.  Today she informed me that she needed to change Emma’s sheets because she had an accident.  Wonder where she gets that from?

10.07

Friday: This picture explains our morning perfectly.  Heather came over with her girls and they all had so much fun playing together.  Taylor and Marie are finally at a point where they interact a lot while playing and Emma just wants to do whatever the big girls are doing.  This time next year it will be Elizabeth following Emma around everywhere. 

10.08

Saturday: For a girl who barely had any hair for the first year of her life, she is finally catching up.  She looks so cute with her pigtails and we even have bows for them.  Ya-Ya caught this picture with her phone right before Taylor spent the morning with her while Chris and I toured the hospital.

10.09

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

36 weeks!

I can’t believe that our little Elizabeth is going to be here soon!  At this point I feel like a hippo and am ready to meet our little girl.  On Wednesday, I had an ultrasound and we got to see Elizabeth again.  As typical of the rest of her ultrasounds, she had her feet up around her face and never gave us the greatest view of her face.  I love that she is already developing a personality and can’t wait to see it in action.(outside of her kicking my ribs)  Unlike Taylor, Elizabeth is not breach but we went ahead and scheduled a c-section for November 1st.  That means we are 3 weeks away from her being here, if she waits until them to come.  The nursery is almost ready(pictures below), I am starting to wash blankets and clothes for her, and I am working on putting together a bag for the hospital.  Scary!  I am nesting like crazy, but run out of energy(or time) to complete all my projects and am constantly making to-do lists for Chris to finish.  I am also picking the brains of all my fellow mom’s of what they did when they had their second child or what they would do different.  Is there something you wish you had known prior to having number 2?  It is nice knowing that I won’t feel like a rookie mom so much when Elizabeth is born, but I’m sure she make me look like one a few times just to remind me who’s in charge. 

Here are some pictures of the ultrasound(mainly for my Mom).  The top two are the same picture, but I labeled the right one so you can kinda see what you are looking at.  It is a 3-D picture taken if you were looking right at her face.  I had no clue what I was looking at on the screen and just smiled and nodded at the nurse.  Good thing they give you a printout to study later and have your husband explain to you so you don’t look like a dork.  The bottom picture is a side profile of Elizabeth and she was actually sucking her bottom lip during this picture. 

 IMG_1088 IMG_1079

 IMG_1087

And a chance to see how big I look with this cutie at 36 weeks and then on the right is me at same point with Taylor.  I am realizing the black shirt doesn’t make me look as huge and maybe the blue shirt was a bad clothing choice when majorly preggo.

IMG_1097 100_2477

Now for a tour of the room.  When you walk in door this is what you see.  Plus I added close up views of the paintings that I did for her walls.  Keep in mind that I’m a stamper and like to color in images that are already drawn, so I blew up images of some of Taylor’s animal magnets and traced them. 

IMG_0920 IMG_0923IMG_0924

A close up view of some of the items on Elizabeth’s bookcase.  The framed initial was a wonderful gift from Heather at my baby shower.  I also kept the glass baby bottle with pink flowers as a decoration item for her bookcase too.  The teddy bear was given to me when my best friend passed away in college and added a sweet memory to the room.

IMG_0921IMG_0922

Now turn to your left and you see the dresser and changing pad where many a moment will be spent changing a diaper or dressing a sweet girl.  I loved the E initial from Heather so much, that we have ordered a similar style wooden E to hang over the dresser.(Just one of the final touches that we are waiting on)  Turn to your left again and you will find the crib that will soon be the sweet sleeping place for Elizabeth.  The crib is getting ready to snuggle it’s fourth little girl.  It belonged to my brother’s two girls prior to making it’s way to our house.  I love that all the cousins are able to share something like this!  If you were to look in E’s room right now, you would find that the command adhesive hooks decided they didn’t want to hold the quilt anymore and so the quilt is waiting for Chris to hang a bit more permanently. 

IMG_0919IMG_0916IMG_0917

One final turn to the left will have you looking at E’s closet and the chair that will be used to rock and comfort a little one to sleep, through illness, teething, and that crying you just can’t figure out.  Plus you will see a big sister that loves to help out in E’s room any chance she can get and moves stuff around to where she thinks it should belong. 

  IMG_0926IMG_0915

Hope you enjoyed our tour!

 

© 2011. All Rights Reserved. | Blog Design By Penny Lane Designs