sweet sisters/and scary noses

Tonight, we were sitting at dinner, and Anna Claire is running around like a crazy person.  She had stopped this habit, but tonight she must have had a lot of energy, and I was choosing my battles!  She typically must eat in my lap with me feeding her.  I am determined to break this habit, so I let her run crazy.  But, the sweetest thing is, as she ran past Amelia, Amelia would grab Anna Claire, give her a big hug and say I love you.  I said to her, well that is sweet, and she said I do love my sister.  It makes me so happy that they love each other so much.  I hope they always stay close!  

We ended our evening with our usual screaming about going to bed.  Both girls have decided they are afraid of the dark.  I try to give them happy thoughts, but Amelia is determined to be afraid of the dark.  As, I was downstairs working on emails, Amelia is upstairs in an all out panic.  I go upstairs to make it stop, she says there are noses coming out of her closet and bathroom to smell her!  I just told her she just smells so good.  But, where does she come up with this stuff!  It was pretty original though.  I read something recently with tips on how to get your kids to go to bed on their own without screaming.  I'm going to try tomorrow night.  We will see how it goes.  It is the worst part of my day. If I could turn it around, that would be fantastic!

gymnastics

I signed the girls up for gymnastics last week.  We had our trial day, and it was so much fun!  Luckily the girls have class at the same time, especially since I have to assist Anna Claire.  It was nice because I didn't get a lot of one on one time with Anna Claire.  They were really excited about going back the next week.  I am a terrible mother and did not get a single picture of their first day of gymnastics.  It was a crazy morning though and I was just hoping to actually make it on time!

Anna Claire wanted to "fix" her hair herself.  I wish I took a picture before this one.  She had double headbands and looked like a true 80's child.  As much as this girl loves to wear headbands, and they way that she wears them, she definitely missed her decade!

Working on our donkey kicks

Gymnastics is exhausting!  Have to stop and take a little break!

A quick blurry shot of Amelia while I have my phone out.  

Today was our third week of gymnastics.  I was so proud of Anna Claire.  She has made so much progress in 3 weeks.  Last week, I was having to hold her up for everything.  I was even thinking that I may have made a mistake by starting her so early, but this week she needed very little assistance.  Amelia loves gymnastics, but I don't think it will be her calling.  She wants to be a ballerina so bad.  Maybe next year she can try that out and see what she thinks.  I think gymnastics is good for building their strength.  She's enjoying it, and she does a great job.  I must brag a little on her too.  Our trial day, they were suppose to both be in the same class.  3 year olds have to test to move to the next class.  But, since she is almost 4 they went ahead and moved her up.  I was so glad because that seemed like a lot of work for me having to assist the both of them.  But, Amelia did so good listening and following directions.  I know she was new and once she warms up she will probably not be so good at following directions, but that day all the other kids were kind of in their own world but Amelia was paying attention and following instructions.  I know she will someday be the teacher's pet, and I am ok with that!

bed time routines

Drew and I have the routine of him putting Anna Claire to bed and I put Amelia to bed.  I always read Amelia a story, we say prayers, and then I pat her back before leaving her room.  Well, a few months ago Drew and I changed it up and got a chance to put Anna Claire to bed.  She's not much for getting back patted, so I wanted to come up with our own little routine.  So, we read a story, and I wanted to rock her for a minute.  She is my last baby, and I need all the rocking like a baby I can get before I can't get anymore.  Well, she isn't my child that likes to rock, so in order to convince her to let me hold her like a baby I asked her if she wanted to sing a song, so we sang several songs together before going to bed.  When I put her to bed again, she just looked at me and said song.  She wanted me to hold her like a baby and sing a song with her.  Melted my heart!  So, now our night time routine is read her a story or both girls a story together, Anna Claire and I sing a song together, then kisses good night and getting in bed, then off to Amelia's room for patting her back and kisses.  I love our little night time routine!

CMOM

The girls and I headed out today to meet our friends Misty and Keylee to explore the Children's museum of Memphis.  I have always wanted to take them, but have always been so reluctant because I know it is a virus' playground.  But, I went toting a package of wet ones and a lot of prayers.  We had a great time.  I had no idea what to expect, but it was really neat.  You could literally spend an entire day there.

Amelia in the pilot seat of the Fedex airplane.  

Flying the prop plane.  Anna Claire wanted nothing to do with it.

She did have a lot of fun grocery shopping and scanning all of her items.  Thank you to Misty for helping us get them all back in their place!

You can't tell, but they are in a firetruck.  Had to show them what granddaddy use to do.

This picture is really hard to see but Amelia and Keylee's faces are at the bottom of the screen.  It was so cute them performing on the stage.  Amelia loves seeing herself on the tv.  I'm thinking Anna Claire is up there too, but I'm not sure where.  

I don't know that we will be going back to the CMOM for a while.  We will go back once it gets warm again for sure though.  they are building a new outdoor play area and it looks so much fun!

Happy Halloween!

So, Halloween was extremely ridiculously cold this year.  We really weren't quit prepared for it.  Our neighborhood had a chili cookout, hayride, train ride, and trick or treating.  Luckily one neighbor offered to host in their garage, so we all huddled up near the garage.  We did have a lot of fun with our neighbors.  We do have really good neighbors here.  My parents were at my sisters house, so we headed over there after the girls finished trick or treating in our neighborhood.  We were freezing by the time we got there, so my mom and I just walked the girls around my sister's cove while Drew and dad stayed at the house to help hand out candy.  My sister and her family were still trick or treating.  The girls mostly handed out candy at my sister's house and they had a blast.  I think they liked giving the candy out more than they liked getting the candy

Elsa is so strong!

All the kiddo's.  A hot dog, the world's strongest man, Elsa and Abbey.  A really cute bunch!

We did all the girls to eat like 2 pieces of candy before bed, but that is it.  Mommy and daddy did raid their bags too.  We have enough candy in our house right now to make it till next Halloween!

Fall Harvest Party

Our church has a yearly harvest party.  This was our first year to go because last year it fell on the same weekend as our family hayride.  The girls were so excited to get some candy.  It's really cute.  They have games, food, a costume contest, big bouncy houses, and of course trunk or treat.

Amelia just had to be Elsa.  I think she makes a really cute Elsa and Anna Claire just loves Abby Cadabby.  It did take some bribing to get that costume on her though!

The girls with their pumpkins that "they" decorated.  Amelia did help, but Anna Claire had more important things to get into!

The photo booth.  Didn't turn out so cute.  The girls really weren't tall enough.

She was pretty good at throwing the darts.  She didn't "win" a prize but they all do right!  Especially at a church event.

AC didn't know what to think of all the people.  She was happier just observing everything going on.

I don't get a lot of shots of me and the girls.  Drew is doing better at thinking of it though!

We had a lot of fun at our harvest party.  The girls will not even need to get any candy on actual Halloween.  They didn't win the costume contest.  Hard to compete when there are 5 Elsa's.  I think they were the cutest little Elsa and Abbey there though!

Yay for fall!

Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year!  It has been a crazy month, so I haven't been able to do a lot of outdoor decoration, but I finally got a chance.  It may be a little late, but I had a lot of fun anyway.  Drew is out of town for the day working on his duck blind, so it is a Saturday morning of just me and the girls.  We went to the local nursery and checked out the flowers.  And then went to get a pumpkin.  I decided we would just get them at Kroger this year because paying $10 for a pumpkin just seems crazy to me.  But, Kroger was completely out!  So, I last minute, not actually wanting to drive to wolfchase, remembered the little nursery on the Arlington square usually has pumpkins.  They had a bunch!  All sizes and reasonably priced!  Yay, and I got to take a really cute picture of the girls.  So, score one for me!

Have to wear our orange to pick out pumpkins right!

We got all of our flowers planted and our pumpkins decorated, and then down for our nap before our fall harvest party tonight.