Two little girls in tutus. Too bad they aren't turning 2!

Say that 5 times fast!! First off, I have to say Melissa and I deserve a metal! Wrestling 2 1 year olds for pictures is hard! We managed okay and after over 100 pictures we ended up with about 15 or so of each girl that turned out cute. If want to see pictures of Grayce, check out Melissa's blog.

In case you didn't know, Addysen and Grayce were born on the same day. Naturally, we started planning their first birthday party weeks after they were born! The party is this next Saturday and a picture of the girls in their tutu's is part of the invitation. It's going to be so cute!

I love her eyelashes in this one!

This picture makes me think the girls are having a little conversation....

Addysen- "Hey Graycie, do you know why our mom's got us all dressed up?"
Grayce- "I don't know, but they seem really excited about it!"
Addysen- "I think I heard something about a birthday but I don't really know what that means."
Grayce- "Me neither, but this balloon is fun!"
Addysen- "I wonder if I'll be eating soon."
Grayce- "Me too."




Besides bows, I think tutus might be my next baby girl gift! They are so cute!

Daddy/Daughter Weekend

This weekend Christopher took Elodie up to Snowflake for an overnight trip. I stayed behind because I had book club this morning and since it was going to be a fast trip, me and Addysen decided to stay at home.

Christopher, his dad, uncle, and 2 cousins are getting together to play music at the park over pioneer day weekend this July and wanted to get together to practice the songs they were going to play. This was the main motivation for the trip. Elodie tagged along to spend some time with her dad and play with her cousins.

She and Chris went to a movie Friday night and had dinner with Grama and Papa afterwards. That evening Elodie got to play with her cousins and most of the day Saturday was spent hanging out with more cousins while Christopher played music with his family. The got Sonic drinks on the way out of town and stopped in Payson and had dinner together.

Both had fun but came home tired and ready for bed this evening. I'm glad they got to spend some one on one time together but I sure did miss them and I am happy to have them home!

Friendship Bread

Have you ever done this? It was my first time and the bread turned out delish! Me and Addysen wiped out one loaf, just the 2 of us!


The idea is you babysit the batter for 10 days, divide it up into 5 batches, keep one batch for yourself, then give out the remaining 4 batches. And so on and so on! Hence the title.


I liked the process of it all. Babying the batter for 10 days. I'm not sure what the original recipe is but if you wanted to started a batch amongst your own friends I'm sure you could google it. It had to of come from somewhere.





The only thing that bothered me was half way through the process, like day 6, you add milk, sugar, and flour to the bag. Then you let it sit for another 4 days. You don't even refrigerate it. It went against everything we believe it. Milk out for a few hours is bad, how can this be okay? But it was and believe me, it was good!!

I hope Jen, Audrey, and Melissa enjoy it! I ended up keeping one of the bags for myself just so I could make 2 more loaves.

A True Whitney

My Paw Paw Whitney is my mom's dad. Addysen's middle name. Really drag out the AWWW in PawPaw. It's a southern thing.




Anyway, he'll be 96 this year. Love that man and most all of my childhood memories revolve aroune PawPaw and MawMaw and their house on Joor Road. Sigh....



One thing all Whitney cousins know about our PawPaw is he LOVES CHOCOLATE. Send PawPaw some chocolate and he's yours forever. It's the first thing he wants to give to a baby and it's his best bribe to get a hug or kiss from the now great grandkids. Elodie and Addysen both fell victim to his chocolate charm when we were home in October.





PawPaw sais it's why he has lived so long. Not a bad diet to follow that's for sure.




Well, I think it's safe to say that our little Addysen Whitney is related to PawPaw through and through. She is no dummy! Christopher gave her a chocolate chocolate chip cookie last night and she devoured it! Does this make us bad parents?

Decisions Decisions

As a parent, it's up to me to make good choices for Elodie when she is younger so as she gets older she will choose to make good choices too.

Along the way, people can offer advice but in the end, me and Chris determine the outcome.

The crossroads we find ourselves at right now is SCHOOL

In my hometown of Central, Louisiana there are 3 schools. Public schools that is. An elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. Not many options but sometimes that can be a good thing.

In the area we live in here in Arizona there are 5 elementary schools around my house. 2 are within walking distance!

UGH!

How to choose the best one? Well, there's been a lot of talking amongst moms, preschool teachers, church members. Anyone I can get my hands on that has a child in school, I pester them.

After a few weeks of weighing out each school, we made a decision.

Today I, along with a friend who's daughter is friends with Elodie, got to tour the elementary school and sit in the 2 kindergarten classrooms. I was thankful there was only 2 teachers. I'm starting to reach my limits with choices!

We chose this particular elementary school for a few reasons.

1. The kindergarten class offered half day, which most of the schools out here are full day with no option of half day. That is of course until the budget cuts are decided.

2. The curriculum is fast pace and a little more challenging than most other public school.

3 2 of Elodie's friends are planning to attend the same school.

and

4. I wasn't going to have to test Elodie in. The deadline to turn 5 for most public schools is August 31st. I would have to test her in to kindergarten and while I'm fairly certain she would pass, it's one more thing to worry about. At the elementary school we chose, the cut off is September 30th. No testing in. And there is no doubt she is ready for kindergarten! That and I'm certain I'm not paying for another year of preschool!

After touring the school and the kindergarten classrooms I felt certain that I would be happy with our decision and excited for Elodie to start school in the fall.

And while all of that is true, I'm left feeling more confused than ever.

Half day vs. Full day.

Half Day-

8:30am to 11:15am

Elodie wouldn't miss out on any work. Any work done after lunch is review from what was taught in the morning.

She would still get quite a bit of playtime which I think is still important at the ripe age of 5.

An easier adjustment from preschool.

She may not be as tired in the afternoons.

There will be homework and if she is home at noon she will be more willing to do homework at 4pm

More time with her family.

Full Day-

8:30am to 2:15pm

From 11:15 to 11:45am is lunchtime. Along with a recess, Elodie will get more time in the classroom than half day.

It's only 2 extra hours.

I know Elodie would notice that she was leaving school while all her friends were staying for lunch. I think she would be disappointed to know she was missing out on something.

Not as much playtime.

Less time to relax before homework, dinner, family time.

Will she be more tired in the afternoons?
Squeezing in playtime with friends would be tough.

Is it too long to be away from home.

She has 11 more years to be gone all day..why rush it?

See what I'm left with?

So all you mothers with kindergartners. Whether full day or half day, I need help. Christopher thinks the answer is easy and doesn't mind her going all day. On the other hand, guess who's left to deal with the aftermath? ME!

Any comments or suggestions would be helpful. The nice thing is I can always put her in full day and take her back down to half day if it's too much. On the other hand, if I put her right in to half day, I can't switch her to full day.

Why do I feel like a bad mother no matter what decision I make. If I put her in half day I feel like she will miss out on something. If I put her in full day, I feel like it's too much time away from home and family.

Am I making a good decision for her because it's what I know is best for her. Or am I making the decision based on what I want or think.

UGH!

Sneek Peek

2 little girls are getting ready to have a birthday.

Has it really been a year?

(click on the colored sentence to link)

Party planning has begun.



More to come.

Spring Fever

Elodie looked like spring time today! I couldn't resist!

7 randoms

The bad thing about these tags is I can always think of 7 NEW weird things about me. Is that bad?



1. I windex my faucets. Once a week. There's just something windex does that a clorox wipe can't. Makes them look so shiny and new. Even if it only last 2 seconds because your 4 year old, or husband, comes in to wash their hands.



2. Our savings account is rounded up to the nearest dollar. No change. I don't know when I got like this but when I transfer money from checking to savings, it always get's rounded up. No change. And it always bugs me when the interest accumulates and the bank puts like 19 cents in my account.



3. Which leads me to bills. When paying a bill, I always round up to the nearest dollar, even if the bill doesn't require me to do so. I don't like to see change.



4. I know my library card number by heart.



5. As much as I love Costco I only shop there twice a month.



6. I watch the Bachelor and I LOVE it. There I said it!



7. When in the car, I'm a freak about the doors being locked. It drives Christopher nuts. And when we are at a stop light I'm constantly checking the doors to make sure they are locked. I probably push the lock button about 10 times while I'm driving. I blame this obsession on my SIL Regina who before I even learned to drive, taught me how important it was to keep your car doors locked. In our next vehicle, I'll be able to lock all the doors from the passenger seat. Right now, you can only lock them all from the drivers seat. That's not a problem when I'm driving but it bothers Christopher!

Evening Entertainment

Tonight we all ended up in our bedroom. Does that ever happen to you? Everyone ends up hanging out in a random part of your house, or in an area you don't usually hang out in. That happened to us tonight.

Next thing you know, Elodie is entertaining us all with her own rendition of Taylor Swift with Addysen at her side as her number one fan. All of this in our bathtub with Christopher's trimmer as a microphone!

Good times. Another sweet part of our reality. Blurry pictures and all. Elodie was in her own little world and I love the caught in the act feel of them all so I'm not apologizing for the blurriness.

Notice Addysen is practically doing a split on the tile. Her and her footy pajamas didn't get along with the tile.

A new record

We've spent the last 3 days in a row at the park this week. We can't help it. The weather has been absolutely beautiful. Highs never reaching above 73! And who better to spend it with than good friends.

We had a great little group at the park today. 13 kids. Our group is getting too big to go anywhere else!

Addysen exploring the sand.

At it again.

What does it say as a mother when you walk in the room, see your baby has pulled all the wipes out, say "Addysen! You are so naughty!" and then say "Stay there, let me go get my camera!"

It's a sickness I'm sure!

P.S- No chest hair this morning. Starting to feel better!

What happens next.

Today I am still sick. My head feels like it is about to explode! Sadly, nothing stops when a mom is sick! Definitely gives me a better appreciation for 3pm quiet time when Elodie is playing quietly in her room and Addysen is taking her afternoon nap. Serenity.

I used the last of my Sudafed last night....I would much rather Ny-quil but I'm still looking after a baby if you know what I mean.

This afternoon I was desperate. The only thing in the cabinet was some multi-vitamins for men. No vitamin c...Nothing. My mother would be ashamed!

For whatever reason, the fact that the bottle said it was for men scared me. What if I take one and wake up tomorrow with chest hair or facial hair?!?!

I weighed my options...I'm not planning to go anywhere tomorrow. I took one.

We'll just have to see what happens next!

It was bound to happen eventually!

Over the last couple of days we have been teaching Addysen to stay away from Ginger's dog food. It's one of those things that will always be on the floor and something Addysen will just have to stay away from. It's worked while we are around but I guess it's too much of a temptation when mom is out of the room.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We've celebrated valentine's day all week at our house! Atleast that's how it feels!


I finally finished this little valentine craft I've been working on. I don't have very much valentine decoration and each year I try to add something new. I've done this before making FALL blocks last year. I love the way they turned out, just can't decide which way to display them. Now that the month is half over I need to decide quick!






Elodie picked out Littlest Pet Shop Valentine's for her friends and classmates and on Wednesday we spent the better part of the afternoon addressing them. She wrote out each one by herself with help from me on how to spell the names.







Elodie had her Valentine Party at school on Thursday and had fun with her class passing out valentine's and eating treats at school. She looked so cute in her Valentine shirt and matching bows but my head was somewhere else because I didn't take a picture of her (GASP!!!) She worked all week on a valentine card for me and Chris and was so proud of herself when she gave it to us!







We were planning to swap with another couple for date night but their family was sick and had to cancel our plans. It ended up working out because we took the girls out to dinner on Friday night and ended the night with a treat at Baskin Robbins. Elodie also wasn't feeling well from her shots yesterday (I obviously wasn't thinking when I made the appointment) so we brought the girls home and put them to bed.





This morning we woke up and made heart shaped pancakes while Christopher went for a run. Elodie loved this! The girls surprised their dad with a heart shaped tin full of dove chocolate. He especially loved this after running 12 miles before breakfast!

Later in the morning I discovered that my Visting Teachers Heart Attacked our front door. That was super sweet!




We have spent the rest of the day lounging around because now me and Chris are sick and don't feel like doing much. We rented movies this afternoon and got Panda Express for dinner. We have already made plans to go out next weekend. We felt like since we get 2 date nights a month with our babysitting swap and had just gone out the last 2 weekends, we could post pone Valentine's for one weekend! Hoping we feel better by then! Ugh!


Overall, it was still fun to celebrate love day as a family. I love my family and feel so blessed to have them!

What did you do this morning?

This morning we spent 2 hours in the doctor's office. No emergency. Just coincidence that I scheduled Elodie's 4 year check up and shots on Friday the 13th! We were a little behind on the check-up. 6 months to be exact. I'd been dragging it out because I hate shots for myself and hate them double for my kids. I'm slowly learning to be an independent mother and not depend on Chris to do all the dirty work. Besides, in order to register her for kindergarten on the 2nd of March, her immunizations had to be up to date. The clock was ticking!

The doctor's office was sllllloooooowwwww!! We waited in the waiting room for an hour before being escorted to the smaller waiting room to see the doctor. It wasn't fun but it had to be done.

Did I mention I took Addysen with me!?! I would have felt worse if I would have left her with someone! Especially since the doctor's office is within 5 minutes of my house and I for sure thought we would be in and out. Not the case on Friday the 13th.


Elodie got 4 shots today. 3 routine plus her kindergarten booster. Boo Hoo! I can't believe she will start kindergarten in the fall. Crazy!

She's still a petite little thing.


Weight- 32 pounds

Height- 39.5 (which would be another reason we are waiting another 2 years to go back to Disneyland.)

10th percentile for weight and 15th percentile for height.

If I had to pick, I like this age for shots. I talked to Elodie about the doctor, how the shots would hurt for a little bit but she would be okay by the time we got to the car. It made it easier for me knowing she somewhat understood what was going to happen. It's always harder when their babies and their screaming looking at you like "what the heck are you doing to me!?!?"





She was brave for the first shot and then the alligator tears start forming. I don't blame her and cried right along with her. Poor girl. She's better now. McDonald's for lunch, the promise of a new My Little Pony from Target, and the fact that she doesn't have to get another shot until she is 11 made her better.

Overall, she is healthy and we are so happy for that!

Good Read

I just finished reading this book for March's Book Club. Holy Cow! It was AWESOME!

And I was so excited to find out there was second book in this series! Immedietely after finishing The Hunger Games last night I went to the computer to see if I could request it from the library. I was surprised to find that it wasn't available at the library so I went to Amazon.Com. Sadly, the second book in the series won't be out until September of this year! UGH! It's the Twilight Series all over again!

So if your looking for a good book to read, try The Hunger Games! It was REALLY good and I can't wait for our book discussion in March! Depending on how many finish the book, we may not be able to wait that long!

Aren't you thinking about swimsuits in February too?

I got the girls swimsuits for this summer over the weekend. I couldn't resist. I got them at Gap and had been eyeing them for a little while. Too cute and I LOVE the colors! And of course the fact that they matched was a super-de-duper BONUS! Can't wait for summer (GASP!?! Did I actually just type that?)

If you weren't thinking about swimsuits before.....you are now!!

Have a cookie and a smile

Why do I do this to myself?




Why do I make cookies KNOWING that I'm the only one NOT strong enough to resist them.

Why do I make cookies KNOWING I'm the one home all day with them watching my every move....waiting for me to lose the fight and eat one.

Why do I make cookies when I KNOW my husband is above cookies and will only allow himself 2 cookies on Sunday and demands that I not put any in his lunch!

Well, there was only 2 things I could do. That of course didn't include ME eating the cookies.

1- Bring them to playgroup at Chick-Fil-a and DEMAND that every mother and child have atleast one.


and


2- Sit and take pictures of my 2 cute girls sharing a cookie. Notice that Addysen is completely uninterested in everything except her sister's cookie.





Afterall, isn't it cookie moster that sais "Maybe friend is someone you give up last cookie for!" That little skit gets me everytime!
Click the link below..you'll see what I mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBJ5K8RCKio

My Mom is coming!

I'm so happy to have gotten a call from my mom this morning to let me know she was getting her ticket to fly out here! She will be staying with us from April 14th through the 25th!

We all love having her around and the girls absolutely adore her!! It's going to be a fun time. Just wish she could drag my dad along! Although, entertaining my mom is MUCH easier! ;)

Note to self

The next time Elodie spills an entire bottle of orange soda on your kitchen floor, you will need to mop 3 times before the stickiness goes away. Maybe 4 as the 3rd mopping is drying as I type. She did this yesterday and it's been the story of my life since lunchtime yesterday. I wish I would have thought to take a picture. Who knew it would still be consuming my time 24 hours later!!

Pray that I don't have to mop a 4th time!

We have a signer!

Addysen signed her first word last night at dinner!! She can finally sign MORE!

She has been signing more with one hand for the last couple of days. Technically not the right way to do it but we knew what she meant. And besides, she has to start somewhere! Elodie made up signs left and right!! She had the cutest sign for popsicle. Totally wrong but still very cute!

Anyway, last night at dinner Addysen signed more with both hands!! So exciting!! Mostly to have a signer and not a screamer!!

At my feet

We eat early in our house. Usually at 5pm. 3 reasons

1. Chris eats lunch around 11am and is usually STARVING by the time he gets home at 4:30pm

2. The girls and I eat lunch around the same time and with the exception of Elodie's 3:30pm snack and a quick nursing at 4pm for Addysen, the girls are ready for dinner too.

3. And Addysen is in bed at 6pm. We have to eat early. I guess we could feed her seperately but what's the fun in that!?

With that said, there must be some kind of internal alarm in Addysen's body around 4pm when I start dinner because this is where you can find her.

At my feet, in the kitchen, screaming at me to feed her. Although in this picture she was so intrigued by the camera that she stopped to stare.

The girl's an eater. Don't let the size fool you. She's serious when it comes to food and can clean her plate and finish off Elodie's plate too.

Just another part of my reality.

New Bed!

Christopher and I finally got ourselves a new bed!!! Originally, we were looking at getting a queen but found an amazing deal on a king size so we splurged! I had so much fun (and stress, and worry) over finding the perfect comforter set for our bed and I'm so happy with how it all turned out.






And I'm not finished! Much to Chris' dislike...I want to get a bench to go at the end of our bed so I don't have to put my pillows on the floor and I found this awesome, HUGE mirror that has a chunky black frame to go above the bed. I also want night stands but will have to wait on that since I'd want the dresser to match. And if this house belonged to me, I would paint. I already have the colors picked out. But since it doesn't, it'll have to wait! Our bedroom has never been top priority for us. There has always been something else to buy. There's a lot of work to be done in this room!







It's crazy how badly it all escalates! It's not just buying a new bed. After the bed, we had to buy a new frame, then new pillows, and a new comforter set, and new pillows for the shams. And on and on and on!


I'm having fun though!