Real Time

So now I'm up to date. For those of you who are confused by this statement you have to go back a few posts to "the beginning of our blog." The girls are loving spring and being able to run outside. Alli has progressed so much on her swim team that she reminds me of Jolie when she swims. Jolie always had the most beautiful stroke. She is such a help with Taya and gets really excited when I ask her to feed the baby a bottle or get a pacifier. She recently memorized a really long scripture for primary and has been doing well with her reading. She is also learning to draw and is getting pretty good at that too.

Madison has such a great imagination. Sometimes I stand outside the playroom door and listen to her play dollhouse. It's really cute. She loves to push all the furniture out of the way in the living room and dance for hours. Taya likes to sit in her bouncer and watch Madison. Natie bought Madison some shirts from JMU, and from a business trip to Madison, Wisconsin, so now Madison also likes to spot the letter "M" places and ask if it says her name.

Taya smiles all the time. She is so content. At her four month check up the doctor said we have to feed her more often. She said some babies are so good natured that they don't cry when they are hungry, but you have to feed them anyway. Taya is giggling and loves to suck on her hands. She will hold a toy, but doesn't really know what to do with it yet.

I just finished smocking Hailey's blessing dress (which is beautiful), and now I'm working on some dresses for the girls for the summer. My new sewing machine is fabulous, and my projects are turning out well, just a little slowly.

We are looking forward to several Easter Egg Hunts next weekend. Till then...

Friends

Most of March was spent playing with friends. We seemed to have different kids at our house three or four days a week. It was tons of fun for my girls, and for most of the friends. One day we had a little boy over though, and he wanted to know why we didn't have any pirates. I guess he was not too pleased with the barbies and pet shop.

My cousin Natalie came for spring break and brought her kids. Alli became fast friends with her daughter Alex right away, and they played so nicely together the whole time. They were inseparable. We did take them to Longwood Gardens, but for the most part we just talked and let the kids play. It was a great three days.

Three Croutons in a Teacup

In February of this year I started to put away the Christmas decorations (most of you understand this as you received your Christmas card from me in March). When I went to put the advent calendar in it's box I discovered that each of it's doors had been filled with treasures. There were blocks, handmade ornaments, kinex pieces, drawings on little papers, flannel board pieces, some jewelry... As I put each of these things away I almost began to cry. As much as I hate having a mess all the time, and complain that all I ever do with my time is clean, I will really miss not having little children. There is something so special about coming across three croutons in a fisher-price teacup, or the No More Tangles spray in a baby doll diaper bag, or a cup of daffodils on a little chair in the sun. It reminds me how precious little children are with their simple, creative, unpolluted minds. I love their curiosity and excitement for life. I love that they follow me around wanting to help me and play with me and learn to be like me. I love how they love to tell me everything even when most of it is made up. There is nothing like a child. I'm so lucky to have three.

Madison the Narcissist

I thought I would offer some insights into Madison's personality. Madison looks at herself in the mirror for extended periods of time on a daily basis. She is obsessed with her appearance. The other day we were running out the door and I told her to put the shoes on that were closest to the door. She looked at me as if I were crazy and said, "Do these shoes match to my outfit? I don't think so!"

I pulled her out of the tub the other day and dryed her hair with a towel. Before I had a chance to brush it she started to cry and sobbed, "I look awful." Oh, the drama...

She likes to change her clothes often, and I only allow one outfit per day, so one day she told me she had wet her pants. I told her to go into the bathroom and I would be in in a minute to help her. When I got there she had already changed but her previous clothes were dry. I then realized that she told me she had wet herself just so she could change her clothes.

What three year old cares this much? Is it because I think she is cute and I tell her that all the time? She just had parent observation day at her dance class, and she spent the whole time smiling right at people and tilting her head and making cute faces. One of the other mothers came up to me afterwards and said she had never seen a child so aware of her audience.

If only there was a way to harness this self-esteem and give it back to her when she is twelve and has braces, is taller than all the boys, and is figuring out how to do her own hair...

Madison is a very sweet girl and I love her dearly, this is just one of her crazy quirks.

The First Snow of Winter

It used to snow here when I was little. I remember having snow days and sledding. Yet in the three winters that we've lived here there has been almost nothing. On President's day this year we had our first real snow (enough to actually build a snowman). The girls were so excited that they spent two whole days outside in the snow. They took out the cookie cutters to play with. I thought it was an interesting choice, but I'm not three.

Fairy Month

For Christmas the girls got a big book of fairy things to make and do from my mom. I spent January gathering materials and putting together a big box of supplies so that February could be fairy month. We made all kinds of cute crafts, and we spent hours ignoring the chores and spending time together. Here are some pictures of some caterpillars the girls made.

Richmond

February 5th-7th

We drove with Grandma to visit Natie and Kenzie for the weekend. We got to see their new house and visit the best children's museum I've ever seen. If I was Kenzie I would buy a membership and take my kids there everyday. You would never have to buy any toys and your house would stay clean. Alli and Madison had so much fun with Natie and Kenzie. Here are some pictures from the trip.