My Little Ladies

So I'm catching up on posting...three in one night...I guess this is what I get for a 3 hour nap today. Anyway life is flying by and I can't believe January is almost over...and Gabby is only 4 months away from turning 2! How is that possible? She is becoming quite the character and Joel and I have started to discipline her she got her first (of 2) time outs this weekend. It was actually really cute because Joel put her in timeout and she just got up and walked over the to chair and sat so quietly (so hard not to laugh b/c she was so adorable). The 2nd one definitely gets away with more. I think when they are close you make the older one grow up faster and keep the little one little. I think back to right after Gabby was born and Bella seems so much older than Gabby does now. I have to constantly tell myself that Bella is only 3 (even though she's tall and acts older) and Gabby is almost 2...she's not quite a baby anymore...although she has us all wrapped around her finger.

She is starting to go through the same phases Bella did...she loves playing with babies and putting them to sleep. Tonight she stickered my leg like Bella used to do to Cosmo. She is starting to undress herself at night and put her clothes in the hamper and get her pjs out. It's funny that kids do the same thing.

The exciting news is that Gabby pee peed twice this weekend on the potty. Her teacher (who she also has wrapped around her finger) asked if she could start working with Gabby on the potty...there was no way I was going to say no...so we started this week. We got the little potty out and Gabby loved it and sat there for about 30 minutes the first time...I had to bribe her to get off, but before she went to bed we tried one more time...and she pottied. I was so excited...then tonight we didn't have success all day but tonight she peed again...so we'll see. I'm not sure she'll pick it up as fast as Bella and I'm not ready to change her to a toddler bed yet, but we're off to get pull-ups tomorrow.

So here's Gabby with her baby sleeping on the couch with her...then the other night she shared her sippy cup.
I love her little curls...she still loves to dance and was running around with my ipod...

and hitting her booty

My big girl has had a nasty cough for weeks. It was better for a few days but seems to have gotten worse with another fever today. So far tonight I haven't heard her hacking away so that's a good thing. Here she is so beautiful.She was spinning around and making herself dizzy.

Gabby rocking her hood.

My beauties...not even have to say anything else...

Bella loves coloring and is getting really good about staying in the lines. Everything ends up the same color but she stays in the lines. She is also drawing more things free hand. She draws people, which consist of two circles and a rectangle. It's pretty cute especially when she draws 20 people and names them all and repeats where everyone is although they all look the same to me.

Photo Class

Thanks to Eric & Bonnie for my photography class for Christmas...I learned a lot of stuff about my camera and loved using a tripod (although that part wasn't so easy once I was home with the girls). I am still learning but am figuring out my new toys from Christmas. So here are a few pictures I took at the botanical gardens for my class...

Ice Capades

Last weekend we had a date with Bella to the ice capades. She loved it and was glued to the show (and enjoyed her snow cone and cotton candy). I thought it might be one of those things that was only cool when I was little...but it was a great show...probably because it was Minnie & Mickey, Cars, Little Mermaid, Lion King & Tinkerbell. I did bring my little camera, but am so not a fan of the pictures since I have my nice camera now and had taken a photography class that morning....anyway I did get some video that turned out better than the pics, but here you go...

Lions, Tigers, but no Bears

Last Monday we went to the zoo (before it starts to get too hot). I had the brilliant idea to have them in the wagon...it worked out well except that I couldn't walk until about Thursday.We went to the giraffes first and once Gabby realized that we were seeing animals, she jumped out of the wagon and ran up to the giraffes squealing...and then she started dancing.

Nana met us for a little while, which was a good thing because I don't think I could have made it up the hill toting 70 pounds. It was a beautiful day and the animals were all pretty active. The tiger was roaring and then jumped up onto this huge rock. Gabby was climbing the fence like a monkey. The lions were sleeping but we got a great view of them too.

Gabby was walking around the monkeys and baboons and I told her to look up and she jumped because there was this monkey right next to her.

The little monkeys were jumping around their tree houses and eating oatmeal which the girls thought was funny.

After Nana left we went to the petting zoo to brush the goats. Bella LOVED it and Gabby was a little nervous. She would hand the brush to me and then she would do it...then we'd move to another goat and start the process again.

Near the end Gabby was tired of being in the wagon and wanted to pull Bella aroundWe saw the new Komono Dragon exhibit and Bella is obsessed with learning about them now. We bought a book and she took it to school. She keeps telling everyone they are longer than her room or her and daddy put together (since they are 9 feet) and they eat deer and eggs and have sharp claws. However, she did tell me that if one was eating mommy she would grab it and save me.

The elephants came close to where we were too...and Bella decided to pose.

shottons 70 anniversary

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Two Princesses

Both girls are back into princess dress up and Gabby has become obsessed with wearing heels around. She needs help putting them on, but once she's up she lasts a long time making laps around the kitchen. Gabby has even started saying the Disney princesses names - Ariel, Cinderella, Belle, Aurora. Bella loves her Aurora dress...I'm not sure if it's because she bought it with her gift card (thanks Cassie) or because it's pink, but that leaves Gabby loving that she gets to pick from the Cinderella, Snow White or Belle dresses, although it is usually Cinderella...she's so cute when she says it, then she goes and finds the blue matching heels.
The girls love to chase each other around. Gabby is getting pretty violent and we are trying to stop that. She's got quite an arm and just hits Bella or pulls her hair, and has started pinching. The other night she grabbed a huge chunk of Bella's arm. She has also started throwing huge tantrums when she's told no...or she'll mimic us and run around going "no no no no no" (her other favorite word is "mine"). She is quick to boss everyone around "sit down here mommy". This past weekend she was definitely attached to Joel. We went shopping and Joel had to push her stroller or the cart. She would say "no mommy daddy push" or would try moving my hands off the handle. She only wanted Joel to get her out of her car seat or get her drink. Oh I think she's going to be more testing than Bella - what happened to my laid back little one?!? It is nice that she's talking so much and saying 4-5 word sentences but she doesn't take "no" very well. Catching butterflies from the elephants trunk

Gabby has also started tackling Bella. I think it's because Joel tussles with Gabby pretty rough so now Gabby will run and take Bella down. The other night she sat on her and wouldn't get up. But she's still our love bug (the rest of the time) - daddy's girlBoth girls have loved their strollers and take their babies around the house. Gabby has been mimicing all of Bella's actions. She has started covering up her toys...I went in after her nap today and she pointed at her doll and said "abby go night-night" - she had covered up her Abby doll with a blanket. She has also become obsessed with blankets and has to have all of the ones on the couch. She'll carry/drag these huge blankets around the living room and kitchen.

Not to leave Bella out. Since her 2nd set of tubes and adnoids taken out a month ago, she has been very sensitive. She'll randomly cry and be hysterical about random things. Sometimes she'll come in to our room in the morning. If Joel has already left for work she'll start crying that he didn't kiss her good-bye. It's happening less and less, but she's started other things...such as when she gets a time out she'll say "Mommy you're not my friend anymore"...not a fan of that one...but a few minutes later she'll say "Sorry mommy you're still my best friend". She's still pretty funny. The other day I said "I was pooped" and she quickly replied..."ewww mom not in your pants"...other funny things are she'll reply when she agrees with something we say "oh yeah yeah yeah". Both have such moods swings...Bella is starting to comprehend more things like accidents or starting to think through actions or cause & effect, and Gabby is just learning boundaries, but it completely drains me lately. However, both girls were fantastic with no tantrums (until about 10 minutes before Joel got home) today. They played great and shared. Hoping these phases go by fast.