Little Spitfire

So, turning 3 has brought out a whole new dimension to the Mollie otherwise known as "princess". She really doesn't like to leave places and will throw down and you have to carry her out. Luckily these episodes don't last long and she's still pretty easily talked out of/into things. She wants to wear dresses every day and at home she likes to wear dress up dresses. Especially the Barbie cheerleader dress that is getting so nasty now even though I wash it! But she's still a beautiful princess in it.
She says the funniest things! Today I was asking her if she wanted to do a puzzle with me (that she had taken apart and thrown all over the floor). She said, "the princess doesn't want to do that right now". She asked me for gum the other day in the car. I told her I would have to wait to find it in my purse when we got to a stop light or our destination. I was telling her that it wasn't safe because I was driving. I had my left hand on the wheel and my right hand in my lap. Then I get "mommy, use your other hand then, use your right one". I didn't, by the way.
And I hurt the princess's feelings a lot. Like when I tell her it's time to take a nap or go to bed or stop terrorizing Sydney when she is trying to do something.
She does ballet dances all around the house. I can't wait for her to start dance again in January in the 3-5 class. She calls Phil either "Daddio" or "Prince Charming" and takes him into her castle. Today I was the Queen Princess and had to follow her around with the glass slipper that kept "accidentally" falling off of her foot. She has quite an imagination.
While her attitude has really come out, she is also proven to be such an empathetic, kind friend. There have been many times lately that she has been concerned about someone, given back toys that someone has tried to take from her. After a few minutes that is. She'll play with it just to prove her point that it was her turn, but then say "you can have it now". She is a very sweet happy girl. And when she's not being her sassy self she is so polite and genuinely thankful for things and compassionate.
I always wanted to have kids that are funny, nice, polite, and smart, both in every day life and academics. I can just pray that it happens! I think we're getting there. We have to keep working on the manners, but I think that's probably normal.
I used to tell parents that kids wouldn't be kids if they never get in trouble! It's nice to see that sneaky streak every once in a while to show that kids are still kids. Don't want them to be little robots!

Christmas time

It's so busy that it can really be a pain in the rump. All the shopping, cooking, things to go to, etc.
Move the elf before bed.
Make sure there is something in the Advent calendar.
Make sure I have a dozen cookies for this.
Remember to make the lunches for the girls for preschool because it seems like I already did something with food, was that not it?
Remember to go to work. Cramps my style a little this time of year, what was I thinking (except that this little girl actually came up with her own rhyming word this morning for the first time in a month, phew!)

BUT IT'S ALL SO MUCH FUN AT THE SAME TIME!!

One of these days my Christmas cards will come in the mail and then I'll stay up extra late to get them out! Because I love Christmas cards!

busy, but super, weekend

Tonight we're just laying low and recovering from our really busy weekend.
Friday I worked in the morning, ran to Target, got home to them and our babysitter Krystina. She took Mollie to pick out a birthday present, so sweet!
Friday night we went with my friend Dawn, her daughter Ava and her sister Amanda to the Christmas production, Imagine, at their church. Like everything their church does, it was amazing! The girls loved it. Phil had a little holiday outing with his office to Frankie's Fun Park, but was home by the time we got home around 9:30. Then I went back to Target. Seriously. Dawn and Amanda will die that I did that, haha. At 10pm. But I ran into my friend Ann who I only see when we run into each other at Target late at nigth! I got home around 11! I just had to hunt for these cute shoes I found, but not in my size, at the Cary Target and I needed them for my parties. Found them. And a few things I needed for Saturday party cooking since we were going to also have a busy Saturday.

Saturday we played/cleaned up some then the girls and I went over to Nancy's because we hadn't played with Chase in a few weeks. We have seen him a few times, but not play quality time. And he's doing more and more every day. It's truly amazing how he has changed since getting those tubes in his ears! Eating and drinking more, crawling around, pulling up some, saying several words! He's so sweet. And he loves to play with Sydney. You say "where's Sydney?" and he points to her. He also loves the sound of the Swiffer WetJet. Weird.
Came home, Sydney played with a neighbor friend Emily and Mollie napped. Phil was doing something and I think I fell asleep on the couch...
Then we made our final preparations for our Babysteps playgroup adult party at our house. We get together a lot as families and mostly as moms and kids every week, but have not had an adult thing since I've been around. So we had it in the basement here. We had a neighbor babysitter come over to hang with the girls until bed time. There were probably 13 or so of us and it was so much fun! My face and stomach were sore from smiling and laughing so much. Wonderful friends!

Sunday we were tired!! I slept in, then Phil took a nap. Cleaned up some, then ate lunch at mom's apartment which looked great decorated for Christmas!! Dad was there and played Goldilocks and the 3 bears with Sydney and Mollie and then Mollie did her ballerina performance. She wants to be just like the few ballerinas that were in the Christmas performance on Friday night, haha.
Then we jetted home for her nap and went to Durham, really on the Raleigh line at Brier Creek, to my cousin Laura's very nice new house. We hadn't seen it yet and they've lived there for 2.5 months! The girls all got to play and then we all went to dinner. Laura's having a baby girl in March and looks so cute! We got home right at bedtime and I went to bed pretty early. Phil had to stay up and watch football because it's an important time you know for fantasy football;) He could be making it to the super bowl again this year which would make the first time anyone in his league has made it 3 times.

So this morning I worked, picked the girls up, then Sydney had a friend come home with her for a play date. I've been cleaning up more and am hopefully going to get to bed early. Phil has to watch Monday Night football because it's an important night for his team and all, haha. I realized that I still have some shopping to do. The girls are done, but we have odds and ends to take care of. I have returns to make already, more grocery shopping, etc....and have to get ready for our Fiesta on Saturday night!!!!!!!! We must be crazy...

Christmas Magic

So...we finally got in the swing of things to prepare to Christmas! Last week was insanely busy. I had the naked tree up, but we hadn't had time to decorate it! Yesterday the girls and I decorated the tree and it was so cute, they were really into it. And they did a decent job hanging the ornaments. They are concentrated in the very front bottom of the tree, haha, but that's what they can reach! I moved a few around later, but mostly left it alone. I tried to grab and decorate the top with the more fragile ornaments while they were doing that to spread them around.




We got The Elf on the Shelf this year. I put the box outside the front door yesterday morning before I left for work so that when I got home we could check for packages and the girls would find what Santa left for them while they were at school! Well we got a wonderful surprise on the way home when we saw Santa walking into Lee Tailor at the corner of Hunter and Salem Streets in Apex! Wearing jeans and a flannel shirt, this guy had a full, white beard and a Santa hat on! The girls saw him get out of his truck and walk to the door of the shop and it was so exciting! I told them I thought Santa was making a surprise visit to Apex to check on us. I wonder if he left us anything...
So we get home and they run to the not yet decorated tree, haha, and nothing. We checked the porch for packages and there was our Elf box! We read the story about him and after much discussion named him Snowy. Because Sydney kept trying to describe him in a sentence. She was full of adjectives...or things he liked to do. But she could not name him! She said, "the Elf who loves Santa", "Santa's favorite elf who wears red", "A silly wiggly little elf". But she said "the Elf who loves snow" several times so I got her to name him Snowy. Mollie just kept saying all these silly rhyming words and wanted to hold him. But one of the rules in the story is that you can not touch him or he will lose his magic. And every night he flies back to report to Santa about if they were naughty or nice that day. Snowy started out on the mantle, but this morning he was on the speaker by the TV. They were very happy when they saw him!
And whoever that sneaky Santa dude having his suit hemmed in Apex gets a huge thank you for me! It was just an awesome piece to support the Magic!

Oh, and last night Mollie kept saying she wanted a train to go under our tree. Phil loves trains and actually had a toy train set that his Dad gave him that we were saving for a rainy day. After they went to bed he set it up under the Christmas tree. Mollie was so happy this morning she thought Santa left it for us early! Turns out the train set sucks, it goes way too fast so the train flies off the track, but he's going to either try to slow it down somehow or get a different one.

Here's Snowy!!

Pediatric Express

I just wanted to highly recommend The Pediatric Express to those of you in this area. It's a pediatric urgent care. Mollie started complaining yesterday around lunch time of her ear hurting and it just got worse and worse. She was also very tired so this made it worse. I gave her Motrin (wonder drug) and put her down for a nap. I knew if I called our ped. they would have me talk to a nurse and then call me back if they wanted me to come, etc. They're pretty good about it. But I had heard of this pediatric urgent care in Morrisville and thought that might just be easier so I wanted to try it out.
I woke her up from her nap around 4 and she said she was all better. So much better. But I wanted to take her anyway because she had been so miserable earlier and she doesn't just say her ear hurts and cry for no reason. We had a party to go to yesterday evening (with the girls) so Phil took Sydney and I took Mollie to Pediatric Express. We got there at 5:05. We were the only ones there, but someone came in shortly after us. We got right in, the dr. said her right ear was really bad, gave us our Rx, gave her a sticker, let her take a candy cane off their office tree, and off we went to Walgreens. Got in and out of there and at 5:45 were on our way to the party!
Now I know you think, your kids has an EI and you're going to a party!? She was acting fine. Very happy.
It was a going away/football party for my cousin who is moving to CO and our friends are big Alabama fans and it was the SEC championship or something like that. We really wanted to have a party for him and they were already having this other party so we combined. Worked great. But I kind of needed to go, and would not have if she was not fine. But I gave her her first dose of Amox. there and she was a happy camper. Never mentioned the darn ear again. That wonderful Motrin!!!
Anyway, we had a great experience there. I wanted to let everyone know it's there. At the corner of McCrimmon Pkwy. and Davis Dr. by the new Harris Teeter. WAY easier than dealing with the pediatrician after hours.
So we wish J.R. the best of luck on his trip out west and Mollie with her ear, haha!

all in a day's work

The kids in one of my groups were talking about their new silver teeth. Showing off silver caps and comparing them. Some wishing they had them. Not sure if they all went to the dentist/clinic at the same time or what, but suddenly, this was a big news. It was a kindergarten group with about 7 kids so this took a good 5 minutes.

Then I found out that the silliest thing that had ever happened in one kid's life was when her baby sister pooted on her. And a first grader told me that if monster tried to get him he would just hit it in the privates and that would do the trick. The kindergarteners were reading Silly Sally, great book!!! And the first graders were reading There's a Nightmare in My Closet.

Never a dull moment.

Happy Birthday Mollie!

Today is Mollie's 3rd birthday! I can't believe 3 years has gone by since that wild time! Oh, I love her so, so much.

Highlights of her birth:
At 37 weeks we were very surprised to learn that Mollie was no longer head down! This was a mystery because at 35 weeks she had been and they had estimated her weight already at 7lbs. Yikes. So we weren't sure how she flipped.
I was supposed to have a c-section Dec. 1st. Before they inserted my IV they did an ultrasound and she was back head down. How does that happen without feeling it? Not sure.
The hospital didn't have any beds so they sent me home and I began the most mentally unstable day of my life. I was a wreck. I didn't want to leave without my baby. I had everything set up. Family coming in, Sydney was taken care of. Everything. They said they would call me and they were "doing me a favor" by inducing me the next day since I had thought I would have my baby already. My due date was the 8th. Finally at 9am on the 2nd they called me and we headed to the hospital.
Hung in for a while, got epidural, they broke my water. Nancy and Courtney were in attendance. We actually had a pretty good time hanging out in there, haha. Mollie finally arrived at 10:11pm!
Then they put her on the scale.
What did you say?
9lbs?
Good thing I was laying down. Might have passed out. Sydney was 7lb. 1oz.
2nd babies are apparently MUCH easier to deliver.

Sydney met her the next day and our favorite memory is when she kept pointing to the bassinet in the room and saying "put her back in" every time Mom or I was holding her. Poor girl. She was 6 weeks shy of her 2nd birthday and had no idea what had just happened to her world! Now I'm sure she'd say she wouldn't have it any other way. At least 75% of the time;)

My precious little Moo with the best marshmallow cheeks around!


I had to put this picture. Mollie at 6 months old. Notice what she's drinking out of. This was our compromise in the "Hell no I'm not drinking out of that bottle even if it's shaped like a fake boob" battle.

Mollie at one! Blogger is not letting me load the Mollie at 2 picture. Not sure why.

This morning talking to Daddy on the phone! She's 3!

Ugh, I feel old. Time should not go by this fast!