Somebody decided to RAIN on my parade!

So...Guess who's trying to rain on our parade???

This big meanie below.....

 

Tropical Storm Isaac is expected to make landfall in Key West on Sunday evening through Monday am as a category 1 or 2 hurricane. And our flight was supposed to arrive at Miami international airport at 8am on Monday morning---- right smack in the middle of Isaacs temper tantrum. The big ole meanie had me wanting to throw a temper tantrum of my own.....

 

 

And it's maybe possible that I did get a little grumpy when my carefully laid out plans went washing down the drain..... But after many calls to American airlines, Casa Marina, and bookit.com and a really healthy dose of persistance on my sister's part, we finally had all 4 of our tickets on all 4 flights and both resort rooms rearranged so that we could go a day later....thereby missing the storm. I'm just praying there is no flooding or damage there!

 

Now the excitement and anticipation is back and, hey, now I have an extra day to pack and get the girl's stuff together for when we're gone. And of course to soak up an extra day of sugar & spice & everything nice in the form of 3 sweet girls!

 

This is what I hope to be looking at in a few days.....

 

 

 

Here's to hoping and praying that the next post I do is filled with pics from Key West!!:)

 

Bella's 2 year Update!

I think I have started every one of these posts the same way, but each time I do one of these-- I really can't believe my baby is 2 years old!

I love that I have kept up with these update posts and reading back over them starting with my pregnancy with her, brings tears to my eyes.

If I thought year one flew by....

Then that was nothing compared to year 2..... (Warning- picture overload!)

Okay, I could seriously sit here and upload pictures all day but I am going to make myself stop now and share the pics from her actual birthday. The one on the left is Bella eating her birthday breakfast. What else? Pancakes with candles. And then homemade strawberry cake with a #2 candle. Of course.

And now to the update part....

Weight~ 25 pounds

Height~ Umm... I'll have to get back on this. Somebody threw away the papertowel I had this written on from the MD's office. Not naming any names or anything:)

Feedings~ Can I even call it this anymore? Bella eats 3 meals a day and a morning and afternoon snack.

Favorite Breakfast- Eggs, turkey bacon, and toast

Favorite Lunch- Macoroni and Cheese

Favorite Dinner- She really eats anything we eat but she really likes spaghetti, chicken, corn on the cob and green beans.

Snacks- She Love, love, LOVES pumpkin and banana organic baby food packets and gerber disney princess baby food packets as long as there's a princess on front.

Sleep~ Year 2 has been great on this front. Bella takes one 2-3 hour nap about midday and goes down easily at night between 7:30-8pm and wakes around 7:30am. No complaints here!

Play~ This child is the epitomy of Girlie. She loves to play dress up, barbies, dolls, coloring, dancing, singing, "reading" books and of course anything her sisters are doing is top on her list. But her absolute favorite thing is to play building blocks.

Development~

Copies others, especially adults and older children

Gets excited when with other children

Shows independence

Shows defiant behavior (check! And looks you in the eye the whole time!)

Plays with other children

oints to things or pictures when they are named

Knows names of familiar people and body parts

Says sentences with 2 to 4 words

Follows simple instructions

Repeats words overheard in conversation

Points to things in a book

Finds things even when hidden under two or three covers

Begins to sort shapes and colors

Completes sentences and rhymes in familiar books

Plays simple make-believe games

Builds towers of 4 or more blocks

Might use one hand more than the other

Follows two-step instructions such as “Pick up your shoes and put them in the closet.”

Names items in a picture book such as a cat, bird, or dog

Stands on tiptoe

Kicks a ball

Begins to run

Climbs onto and down from furniture without help

Walks up and down stairs holding on

Throws ball overhand

Makes or copies straight lines and circles

And we have just switched over to pullups. So far I have done absolutely no training. I'm a firm believer that taking it slow is much more progressive than rushing the process. Trust me. I've done this a time or two. But already she has used the potty in our bathroom a couple of times all on her own. She just went in there with Mary Kathryn and copied her. Plan- Let her set her own pace with guidance when needed.

Favorite things to do~ Play building blocks!, singing, dancing, hiding (especially in cabinets), playing with her sisters, coloring, watching Mickey Mouse and The Grinch movie (she is obsessed with this movie but hides during the scary parts). Personally, after watching this movie, I think she favors cindy lou who:) And one of her favorite things to do is play in her sisters' bedrooms. She loves going in their rooms and pulling out their toys. She has a ball but makes a mess. Neither of her sisters like this very much....But of course they get taken in by her cuteness and let her play in there anyway:) We are working on learning to pick our toys up but it's a work in progress.

Personality~ Anyone who knows Bella knows she is very outgoing. She will sing and dance for anyone who will take the time to watch. In fact, sometimes we turn the tv off and watch Bella instead. It's way more entertaining I promise!

We love watching our Bella grow and can't wait to see what the next year has in store for her!

Summer is over at our house- Back to school time!

I can not even believe that I have a 10 and 7 seven year old. It's probably a good thing I started having babies right away because at 31 years old it is hard enough to keep up with our grueling schedule. I can't even imagine if I had waited!

If you can't tell from the picture above-- these two were super excited this morning. It was like Christmas Eve all over again last night. They were in bed by 8:45pm, but I have no idea what time they finally fell asleep. Luckily, the first day of school went off without a hitch. They came home so happy and with lots of stories about how much they love their teachers and new friends.

I think we were all happy for school to be back in! If ever there was a family that thrived on routine, it is this family. And the school year keeps us on a tight schedule. When you add school, allstar cheer practice, tumbling practice, dance, and gymnastics, dedication time, homework,--Oh yeah, and work-- there is not much room for sitting around being bored! And when you do get a day of relaxation-- it is appreciated that much more!

But then again, when I see the girl's gymnastics team's dedication and hardwork pay off, it renews my determination to do whatever it takes to allow my kids to follow their dreams. They may never go to an olympics or be the best there is, but they will have been given every opportunity to be the best that they can be. As parents we encourage, support and sacrifice so that they can live up to their potential.

Honestly, sometimes the running around can wear on me, but then after a few weeks of break from it, we are all ready for the daily grind again. ( the girls, of course, are always ready to go,go, go!)

And before I forget,  this summer I began teaching them basic french. After much research, I found an easy curriculum and followed it through the first session. I was really pleased with the results. In fact, they are now able to read and understand the below conversation.

Marie: Je m’appelle Marie.

Chérie: And my name is Chérie.

Marie: I am a little girl and Chérie is mon petit chaton.

Chérie: Marie, what is un petit chaton?

Marie: Chérie, you are un petit chaton. Un petit chaton is a little kitten.

Chérie: Merci Marie.

Marie: De rien. It was nothing.

The program had an audio that went along with it so they were able to hear correct pronunciation. I hope to continue this some when school starts--if we can fit it in. With that being said....Do you know what I look forward to most about school starting???

It means we are much closer to Fall and I am SO ready for cooler weather, pumpkins, leaves changing and.....you guessed it. STARBUCKS PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES!!