Weekend Wrap-Up

We are always thankful for our "village," but this weekend I was particularly thankful for our village. 

For whatever reason, Callie took it upon herself to push all limits, push my buttons and test our patience ALL WEEKEND LONG.  And Maya has had a super bad cold that has turned into a cough, so she was pretty crabby and miserable.  I'm normally fine with the girls when Chris works on Saturdays, but yesterday...uffda.  Thankfully Auntie Yoda picked Callie up and took her to dance while Maya napped so I could have at least a little down time (and I'll admit it, I napped too).

Since Maya was still miserable after her nap, Chris ended up taking Callie to her friend Stella's birthday party solo, while Maya and I stayed home (and I'll admit it, it was relief to just deal with one crabby little person instead of two).

So here are pics from Saturday...mostly just playing at home, and Kona and Shambles playing at G-ma and Pa's house.

Thankfully, throughout the course of the day, Maya went from looking like she does in the top picture, to
smiling in the bottom picture.  But it took alllllllllllllll day.

On Saturday morning we did manage to make it to the field to fly a kite.  Maya was pretty crabby the whole time, but it got Callie to exert a lot of energy.  Kite flying is AWESOME for kids with lots of energy because they just have to keep running!


IMG 6514 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

Today is where the village came to save the day- the girls spent most of the day with G-ma, Pa and Auntie Cat.  I got to go shopping (by myself...for myself thanks to just having a birthday!) and then spent the afternoon at my parents' place for a House Concert that they hosted.  It was a fundraiser that featured two very cool music groups.  There were over 50 people there, lots of great food and drinks, and great music, obviously. 

I was excited to wear a new dress, a necklace from Laura, and my wedding earrings.  Also, I spent time curing my hair
and I put makeup on. It's the little things...

Here's a short clip of the jazz group that played.


IMG 6591 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

Fun, right???

Now I'm home, listening to the little one babble and watching her roll around in her bed, when she should MOST DEFINITELY be sleeping...and gearing up for another busy week.  Let's hope this one has less snot and sass and more sweetness.

FTPDF: Happy Birthday to ME!

Well, I'm 33 today. 

This was actually my last day of 32.
One of my students guessed 24.  Thank you, student.
That was very kind.

But most importantly, it was SIX YEARS AGO we found out we were having our first baby.  and SIX YEARS AGO TOMORROW I started this blog!  So it is a birthday/blogiversary kind of weekend.

Today was a good day.  I worked a couple hours this morning, treated myself to a Starbucks breakfast, and then spent the rest of the morning/afternoon downtown.  We went to lunch with Boom, Bops and Auntie Yoda.

Favorite Thing #1: A birthday with family

On the way home the girls and I stopped at the library.

Favorite Thing #2: A dry place to go on a rainy day

And tonight we hung out at home because one girl has a UTI and one has a super bad cold/cough.  Needless to say, both were a  lot little crabby tonight. But we still managed to have some fun.



Favorite Thing #3: Watching trucks out the window, splashing in puddles and having a dance party (those middle pictures are of us spinning around really fast).
My card says, "Dear Mom, I give you this special card because it is special and you are special Mom."

As for the rest of the week...Hanna's birthday was Wednesday, so we celebrated both of our birthdays last night with the Gosselins.

Favorite Thing #4: Callie directed us all in a game of Hide and Seek (again...it seems to be our new party game) and
Maya ran laps and tried to be tickled by Uncle Dan.

Favorite Thing #5: Maya's counting ability.


IMG 6439 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

Favorite Thing #6: Scenes from the rest of the week.

Have a lovely weekend!  Thanks for being such awesome blog followers for all these years!  And thanks for all the kind birthday wishes, too!

TBT: The 21-Months-Old Edition!

Dang, we are three months away from THE TERRIBLE TWOS!

But really, thanks to our eldest, I'm more terrified for the threes and fours.

I want to wrap this one up and put her in my pocket forever because this age is so freaking fun.

On to the TBTs...

Oh Kona, she has put up with YEARS of kiddie abuse.

GO NORSE!

Picky toddlers.

Sweet almost-2-year-olds

Weekend Wrap-Up

The weekdays can get pretty hectic- both of us working, a different schedule for the girls every day, different pick-up and drop-off times, etc.  We kind of just get in the all-business-let's-get-life-done survival mode and by the time dinner is over, we're lucky to get in a bath and some dance party time before bedtime.

But weekends...ahhhhh weekends.  If they aren't too scheduled, they provide us with some much needed time.  There are moments that happen that just give both Chris and me a lovely sense of contentment and joy.  I wish I could bottle the feeling up and give it to people who are sad.  It is special.

Anyway, on to the weekend.  It started with one of these moments- a pre-8am basketball practice.


IMG 6307 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

My parents came over that morning because they ordered a handmade bench for us, using part of the granite countertop that used to be in their kitchen.  The bench is beautiful, and fits perfectly under our window. 

Thanks Boom and Bops!

The rest of the morning was good- I ran 4 miles (for the first time in a looooooong time) and the girls had some quiet reading time on the porch.

We spent the afternoon with Pa and Auntie Cat.  Their neighbors had a jumping thing set up in the backyard, so the girls got to do that too.

Chris was golfing late afternoon and into the evening, so the girls and I walked around Centennial Lakes, got dinner, and went to the park.

Today was cooler and rainy, so I decided it would be a perfect day for Luther sweatshirts for me and the little one.

Our big outing for the day was going to the zoo.  It may have been Maya's first time...or at least the first time she was really able to be interactive and she LOVED it.  Which of course, made me feel guilty that she hasn't really done many of the fun things that we did with Callie by this time (Children's Museum, zoos, etc.).  But I just keep telling myself that Callie didn't have a fun older sister to play with like Maya does, so it evens out.  RIGHT?!?!?!?

The other thing I'd love to bottle up?  Their energy!  I have become totally immune to caffeine these days, as evidenced by the fact I had a caffeinated Starbucks drink about 4pm yesterday and still managed to fall asleep watching Netflix at 9pm.  Is that what being almost 33 does to a person?

Have a great week!  This is a big one for babygoose- Maya will turn 21 months old, I'll turn 33 years old, and the blog itself will turn 6 years old!

FTPDF

Happy Weekend!

We all had a good week.  It was sunny and beautiful, and the girls wanted to be outside as much as possible.

Favorite Thing #1: SUNSHINE

As you can see, Callie enjoys being a little monkey.  She is getting braver with how she plays...and more coordinated.  She rides on the scooter so much better than last year, and it is really cool to see.  We haven't gotten the bike out yet because we need to get her giant head a new helmet. :)

Last week and next week are Grandparent Days at Callie's preschool.  Boom was able to go spend the morning with Cal on Tuesday.  They had a great morning together!

Favorite Thing #2: Preschool with Boom!

 Maya's face in this pictures is pretty typical these days.

Favorite Thing #3: Crazy eyes!

She is very passionate about what she wants and what she doesn't want.  She rolls her eyes and expresses her displeasure in shrieking ways.  But she is so darn cute when she does it, that we all still kind of laugh.  I think part of it is still the fact that we have been through SO much more with he older sister, that she is still nowhere near Callie-level freak-outs yet.

Back to Callie- she is really into writing these days.  She asks how to spell things, or sometimes will sound them out herself. She also seeks out words to copy from books.  It is AWESOME.

Favorite Thing #4: 5-Year-Old Writing

The girls had another good week with Boom, G-ma and Pa.

Favorite Thing #5: Crazy girls

Have a great weekend!

TBT

I have two throwbacks for you...and THROWBACK VIDEOS!!!  Hooray!

Since we have been all about dance parties lately, here is Callie showing her moves back in September of 2011.


ABC Dancing from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

And here is the adorable (albeit much shorter) video of Maya dancing to a different version of the ABCs.


IMG 5852 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

Then we have toddlers in silly shaped sunglasses.

And sweet faces.

Picture Outtakes

Back on Easter, I briefly mentioned doing an outtakes post.

If you follow this blog, you know that I do my darndest to try and get a cute picture of the girls together when I can.

When they are this age, the results are hit or miss.

Because really, it takes so many pictures to get one good (or at least USEABLE) one. 

SO. MANY. PICTURES.

In the case of Easter 2015, I didn't even really get a good one...see?

All that craziness for...this.

Here are a couple more examples:

St. Patrick's Day 2015

All that craziness for...this.

Christmas 2014:

All that craziness for...this.

So...thank goodness for iPhone cameras and the fact that I don't have to spend money to develop old school film.  I can see what I am getting (or not), and can delete to my heart's content.  Except I don't delete, because the outtakes are too freaking funny.

Weekend Wrap-Up

I am always amazed at how fast the weekends go.  If you have the Sunday blues, read on, because I have a couple of hilarious videos that are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. :)

This weekend was another sweet preview of summer, and I am just SO dang excited to have so much time to be at home with the girls.

We had a nice couple of days: not too much planned, nice weather, and happy girls.

Saturday

We did our usual Target run and they were so cute sitting in the cart.

During lunch, Callie was VERY proud about trying THREE WHOLE BITES of my salad!

We also did the usual hang out with Boom and Bops and nap time at the condo so I could take Callie to dance.

Does she not look 5-going-on-15 to you????

This last session of dance has been awesome because they are learning one dance and getting new steps each week, like how it is starting in kindergarten classes.  Watching 4- and 5-year-olds try and put steps together is hilarious.  Callie's coordination has never been her strong suit, so I try really hard to do the not-obvious silent laugh in class when she (and all of the other girls) are all over the place trying to do the new steps.


IMG 6188 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

After dance, Cal and I went to a new park, just the two of us. That doesn't happen very often anymore, so it was great.

On Saturday night I went for a run and had a little help stretching when I was done.

Sunday

It was just me and Maya on Sunday morning, and she spent part of the morning testing Kona's patience once again.

And then I tried to get us reading her favorite book, "Gossie", on video.  She knows a lot of the words and is super adorable when we read it.  But I set up my phone so it was in "selfie" view, so she got majorly distracted seeing herself, and then it just got hilarious from there...


IMG 6241 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

Those giggles...OMG. I can't handle the cuteness.

Most of the rest of the day was spent outside, because...SPRING!

Don't they look thrilled?

Before bed we had another bunny spotting- it is becoming a regular thing in the back yard, and the girls LOVE it.

Have a great week!

FTPDF

Happy Weekend!!! 

I got nothing more to say, so I'm just going to launch in updates on the girls.

I have been talking a lot about Maya's language development lately, but Callie's is also pretty amazing.  Last week when we were at the park with friends, Amanda and I were talking about nap time while pushing the girls on the swings.  At some point Callie piped in and said something like, "It isn't reasonable for 5-year-olds to take naps."  Reasonable?!?!?  Do 5-year-olds really use that word...in that context?  It was hilarious.  And her mind is just always going.  Today on our wagon ride, out of the blue she said, "Mommy, guess what I can do?  I can stand as STILL AS A STATUE!  Watch, I can sit as still as one too!" And then she expected me to watch her sit still in the wagon while I was pulling it. 

We have been working on her ability to wait for things and have patience.  She's still so egocentric and so when she wants something she needs it RIGHT NOW and will ask for it constantly until she gets it, no matter what we are doing.  So we are working on making her do more things independently (like cleaning, which is the one thing that her teacher said she still needs help with at her last conference).  Sometimes it is a tough balance to make sure we are helping her learn independence, versus just doing things for her to get them done quickly or more efficiently.  It's a learning curve for all of us.

Maya is hilarious.  I just can't get enough of her.  The biggest thing these days is her sleep habits.  Once she gets to sleep, she is fine and sleeps through the night (mostly).  But most nights she babbles in her crib for at least an hour before falling asleep.  Even when we try and put her to bed later.  It seems to be a habit for her now.  It is adorable and frustrating all at the same time.  Sometimes she wakes up at 5:30am and babbles for an hour then, too.  That isn't so adorable. 

The other thing about her is she is getting as picky as her sister.  Argh.  She refuses to eat a lot of things (at least at our house...she seems better at the grandparents'), but is still a die-hard guacamole fan.  Her love of avocados has not waned, and I'm thankful for that.

On to the pictures...

Favorite Thing #1: A library trip with two little readers

 

Favorite Thing #2: Crappy weather outside meant crazy time inside

 

Favorite Thing #3: Pictures from G-ma and Boom

 

Favorite Thing #4: Friday afternoon is finally nice!

 

Last but not least, we have a couple videos.  We have taken to having nightly dance parties this week.  They are super fun, and my Favorite Thing #5:

The pre-party:


IMG 6152 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

How'd you like that preschooler attitude? Whew!

Here's some dance party action:


IMG 6155 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

Have a great weekend!

TBT

It is Thursday once again!  Since we just celebrated Easter, this week's first throwback is Easter outfit related.

One of my favorite things about having 2 girls is the matching outfits.

The rest of the throwbacks are all library related.  I took the girls to the library on Monday for the first time in a loooooooong time.  It was an activity we did a lot when I was on maternity leave.  It was amazing to see Maya running around, when all I remember of her in the library is sleeping in her baby car seat.

Callie still loves having so many books to choose from, and now grabs a bunch and reads through them before making her selections.

I'm thrilled that they both love books and reading so much.  Reading is definitely one of our favorite things to do together, and they both love looking at books on their own, too.

Maya's First QOTD!!!

Once Callie started talking, I started doing "Quote of the Day" posts, or QOTDs as I like to call them.

If you are ever bored some day, type "QOTD" in my blog search bar.  There are SO MANY hilarious Callie QOTD posts.  One of my favorites was this one, in which I was totally outsmarted by my toddler.

Anyway, Maya still mostly babbles but she knows TONS of single words and is starting to put multiple words together. 

And tonight at dinner, she began figuring out how to negotiate.

Maya: (giving me her smile that she knows is adorable) More bagel.
Me: All done with bagel.  More grapes?
Maya: More chips!
Me: No more chips.  Do you want more grapes or raisins?
Maya: More crackers!

Oh boy, requesting carbs and salt.  The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.  Or should I say, the tortilla chip doesn't fall too far from the bag...?

And no, she didn't get any bagels, chips, or crackers.  I gave her more grapes and they ended up on the floor.

She finds herself to be hilarious, and I do too.  I have a feeling toddlerhood part II is going to be another wild ride.

Weekend Wrap-Up: The Happy Easter Edition!

Happy Easter!!!!!  We all hope you had wonderful celebrations with family and friends...we sure did!
Our weekend was filled with Easter-themed fun. 

Saturday

We headed out for a gigantic Easter Egg hunt not too far from our house.  The Wicks' came too, and we ended up running into Beth and Donald.  There were THOUSANDS of eggs, split up into different areas based on age levels. 

Once the kids (and parents) were told to go, there was a mad dash into the designated area.  Some of the parents were totally hoarding eggs for their kids.  It was a little ridiculous.  But the kids had fun, so that's all that matters, right?

Auntie Cat came over on Saturday afternoon to play.  Poor Auntie Cat...she ALWAYS has to share her food with the girls.  Then we went to dinner with a bunny and a guacamole hoarder.

Sunday

EASTER!  The Easter Bunny came and the girls got dressed up in their flower girl dresses.  Maya was a little uneasy about everything, as you can see from the picture.

I have SO MANY outtakes from the Easter Dress photo session, I'll have to do a post just about outtakes sometime.
That would be pretty funny.

We spent the morning over at G-ma and Pa's house.  We had an Easter Egg hunt, an Easter Basket hunt, and a yummy brunch.

After a lovely church service, Boom, Bops, Auntie Yoda, Uncle Craigles, Bob, Barb, Laura, Auntie Mari, Josh, Uncle Dan and Hanna all came over to our house.  We had appetizers, and then Callie decided to coordinate an Easter Egg hunt for everyone.  She and I hid the eggs in our front yard, and she directed everyone outside, gave them instructions, and was generally adorable bossing lots of adults around.

We BBQ'd and had a nice time hanging out.  Maya finally discovered that she could EAT what was in the Easter eggs, so that was exciting.

We drank Sangria from my Grandma's beautiful stemware.

We had one more game- we had to reprise the crazy Easter Egg game from last year, when we thought we were using hardboiled eggs but actually used raw eggs.  Since my Grandma thought that was HILARIOUS last year, my mom left one of the eggs raw, in her memory.  Barb was the lucky one to get it!

In the late afternoon, I went with my immediate family to go visit my grandparents' graves for the first time. 

Last but not least, we decompressed back at home in our jammies.  I realized that I never got a family picture when we were all dressed fancy, so we had to settle for a jammie selfie.  Would that be a jammfie?  A selmie?

I have one more day of spring break...Cal will be back at school so I'll get to spend the day with my Little Squish.