Animal Park and Pumpkinville

Last Friday, Daddy took the day off and we went to Leesburg pumpkinville and Sylvia went on a pony ride! She wasn't scared at all. Evelyn wouldn't do it...I'm sure she will next time!

O is for Owl

This week's theme is O is for Owls. Look at these cute little masks. They were begging Angela to send the picture to Daddy.

They are learning their alphabet sounds. When reading at the end of the day, Evelyn pointed to C and said C says ca-ca. So good!

Sylvia Dry Overnight

Sylvia was dry overnight! How about that! Such a big girl...all before 2.5 years!

Dance Class

Evelyn and Sylvia are taking dance class (and swim class, but this post is about DANCING). It's not any particular style of dance, but they are using the bar, playing with ribbons and a parachute, and doing fun stretches. Evelyn hasn't been very sure of this class (this Monday was their third class) and didn't want to participate by herself. Well, Grammommy visited and brough a special tutu that would make her brave. It's all she needed to securely flit around the room in true ballerina style. Sooooo cute! Picture quality isn't great, but I was trying to stay far away once she was comfortable.

Haircut

The girls got a little trim (their second haircut) at a salon in Old Town. Sylvia sat in the big chair all by herself. Evelyn wasn't so sure and took a seat with me. They both did well and got bubbles from the stylist!

Dry at Naps for 7 days Straight!

The girls have been dry at naps (and in underware) for 7 days straight. They sleep hard for 1.5-2hrs and wake up dry! Yeah! Also, once Sylvia got over the fear of going #2 (several weeks ago), she hasn't looked back. We haven't had an accident for a long time. We use 1 pull up for each girl daily, at bedtime. How about those diaper savings? I went from about $100 a month to less than $5! Momma has already bought some new shoes for everyone (2 pairs for each girl and myself!)

Cute Party Dresses

The girls have some adorable party dresses that I wouldn't mind having myself if it were appropriate for adult women to wear them. Here they are all dolled up in their party dresses last Saturday. Note their new shoes!

Crafts

The girls' program (created by Angela for "LaLa's Preschool") includes a letter and number for each week. L for Ladybug and 12 was last week. They created these very cool ladybug outfits! So adorable! Sylvia is almost striking a pose.

More Birthday Parties

This weekend, the girls went to Melina's 1st birthday party (this is the sister of big brother Max who was born just one day after the girls). I also went to her christening. It was a very fun party with a moonbounce, balloon artist (Sylvia got butterfly wings and Evelyn got a crown), tattoo artist, tons of food, pinata, donut maker station, fun cake, the best favors ever. It was pretty out of control for a 1st birthday. Daddy missed the fun because he was at a board meeting all weekend. I have a few other pictures I took before they left. They were toooo cute in their dresses.

Birthday Parties!

The girls went to two birthday parties -- one for Clay (3) and little sister Ellery (1) at a huge playground in McLean. The girls were so good about staying close! We played, rode the carousel, and joined in late for cake. The girls had fun, but didn't meet any new friends -- the park was sooo big they were too busy for idle chatter!

We rushed home for naps and then went to Chip's (2) birthday at a soft play room at a nearby rec center. All of their friends were there - Wyatt, Finn, Madeline, Chip, Kyra, Mackenzie. They had a great time.

They weren't interested in the cake at either party. They preferred muffins, fruit and bunny grahams. I'm kind of proud of that. Daddy left for California Sunday morning. No pictures were taken at either party. I was too busy making sure they weren't lost or making trip to the potty (both are going #1 and #2!!!).

Getting Ready to Camp

It's fall and we are determined to camp with the girls in our backyard. We thought we might be able to do it on Saturday, but it was rainy and cold, so we just prepared by getting the tent out and playing in it. They also had fun running down the hill in our back yard. We are holding Oct 8th for overnight in the yard!

Dress Up

On Thursday we had a playdate at Clara's house. Sylvia found this adorable apron and chef hat and immediately put it on. So cute.

The other day, Sylvia looked at me and said..."be right back, in one minute." I waited. She returned fully adorned with a tutu. She said "I a princess Mommy, got tu tu." Then we went outside and she played with it on. Now, unfortunately, we can't find it. It's somewhere, just like everything else we can't seem to find.

Another Busy Weekend

This weekend was busy. Friday, David and I had a date night and went to the National Harbor for sushi happy hour and cocktails. Saturday, we goofed off in the morning watching the girls play in the yard and went on a bike ride. After the girls' nap, Daddy took them to the pool by himself (first time this season and it was the day before it closed; better late than never) while Mommy prepared dinner for our friends who came over after the girls went to bed. Then, our friends (who also have twins -- boys who are 5) came over and we enjoyed a nice, adult dinner. Sunday was another busy day with a trip to Home Depot, swim lessons and then neighbhors over with their kids (9 and 7) at 4pm. They didn't leave until close to 8pm, so it was a hectic end to our weekend. Good times by all though!

# 2 on Potty!!!

The long-awaited #2 on potty finally happened for Sylvia! Yeah! She was very excited and got a piece of chocolate. Of course, Evelyn reaped the benefits too. They are also napping in underware now! Such big girls!

Rain, Rain Go Away

It rained here all week, literally 5 days of non-stop rain. The girls loved playing it and with my umbrellas! They asked me to open then and then went into the family room. They were giggling under there. So super, duper cute.

Spoiled Girls

Here's Daddy giving the girls footrubs while they relax on the couch with a snack. Spoiled!

Enjoying the Patio

The long-awaited patio and fireplace are a huge hit. We are out here all the time and over Labor Day weekend enjoyed several fires because it was cool.

Naughty Sylvia & Silly Daddy

Sylvia didn't want to take a nap. She screamed and cried. This is how we found her. I have no idea how she reached her curtains or why she wanted to put them over her face (thank goodness she didn't strangle herself!). Daddy decided to climb in with her.

Grandpa and Grandma Debi Visit

Grandpa and Grandma Debi flew in from Fort Wayne, Indiana on Thursday night (midnight) and stayed through Monday afternoon. Friday we went to Old Town to feed the ducks, walk around and have lunch. Friday afternoon we hit a nearby water park, which was so fun I'd wished we'd spent all summer there. Saturday morning we went to the zoo and admired a baby gorilla and six lion cubs playing, then went out for Thai on our way home. Sunday we went to our neighbhorhood pool and grilled out there. Monday we went to the National Harbor to play and have lunch. In the evenings we fired up the fireplace, had smores, drank lots of wine. Good times. Plus, many of David's honey-do's were checked off the list with Grandpa's help. These are tiny pictures Debi sent from her iPhone.

Play Date With Wyatt

Today the girls met up with Finn and Wyatt to play. Wyatt had to take a break and Evelyn (our cuddle bug) snuggled up next to him on the ground, then Sylvia joined. How stinking cute are these pictures!?

Happy Birthday Mommy

The girls and Daddy gave Mommy a wonderful birthday celebration. I came home to flowers, balloons, carrot cake, and sushi. Yum! We enjoyed dinner on the new patio (tofu stir fry for the girls and sushi for Mommy and Daddy...they used the chopsticks, but spit out hte sushi)The girls both had to stick their fingers in my cake when I first saw it (we hadn't had dinner yet) and Sylvia pretty much threw it up. The rest of the night "Mine eat ice cream, no like cake." I'm certain she will come around to cake eating. Evelyn, on the other hand, Evelyn enjoyed two small servings of each. They were so tweaked out from sugar, I'm surprised they were able to go to sleep. 37 isn't so bad when you have a loving husband and two amazing little girls, along with a wonderful family and friends. Thanks to everyone who made my day special!

Dog Sitting Lucy

We watched our friend's dog, Lucy, this weekend. She stuck to Mommy's side every moment. While the girls were incredibly sweet with her, I think it was a lot of stimulation for her. It was fun and we all enjoyed her. She's such a good doggie!

Hurricane Irene

An earthquake and hurricane in one week! We prepared for a hurricane that never came -- thank goodness. The girls had fun playing inside (music and taking a bubble bath with Daddy--don't worry he has swim trunks on) and in the rain!

Birthday Party

Yet another birthday party. This one was for our neighbhor - Charlotte. She turned 3. It was a great birthday with splashing, dinner, play and cake! Good times!

Patio Reveal

The patio is FINISHED! It was a long project, but the result shows for itself. We think it's gorgeous. I see lots of fall nights in front of the fire with smores and wine!

Earthquake!

Around 1:50pm today, we had an earthquake. One that really shook up Washington, DC and the surrounding area. It was a 5.8 magnitude shake, which is the highest in recorded human history for this area. Everything is fine, no damage and the girls slept right through it.

Sunday Playdate With Clara

We had the girls' good friend, Clara, over on Sunday with her Mom (Amy) and Dad (Bo). Clara inspired Evelyn from to go to the potty and Amy took her to the potty for the first time! Clara is just a month younger than the girls, but we always learn a lot from her. She's wearing a dress her Mommy wore when she was her age! How circa 1975-ish! [Sylvia wasn't interested in being photographed.

Playing Together

The girls had a blast at a playground after naps on Saturday. They were so cute watching these bigger boys play. Then, we went for ice cream and to Trader Joes. Mommy needed a few things and then always gets them stickers. Again, sorry for the video quality, I can't see what I'm filming, so I'm lucky they are in the frame at all.

Doggie Lucy

Next weekend we are dog sitting for Mommy's friend's dog. The friend is Kamela and her dog, a cock-a-poo, is named Lucy. The girls LOVED meeting her. Evelyn is so gentle and loving to small-ish dogs. Sylvia is too, but not as interested.

Showering

When Mommy showers on the weekends, the girls like to shower too. Here are are post shower/play. Do you like Sylvia's shower cap?

Tuesday Playdate

On Tuesday, Miss JuJu, Wyatt and baby Gresham came to play! Sylvia is very interested in holding baby Gresham, who weighs about as much as she does. She's very sweet with him.

Potty Progess Report

Sylvia is doing GREAT with pee-pee training. She was awarded Dora underware and proudly wore them for 2 days (don't worry, they have 9 pairs). She tells us when she has to go and doesn't have accidents. We have the routine down when we are out. Pretty much when I have to go, I bring them to the potty with me. Girl #1 goes, the other stands by the door with their hands on their head (too much gross stuff to touch). Then girl #2 goes and the other stands at the doors. There's a lot of "don't touch that, put your hands on your head, that's yucky." Then, Mommy goes. We then wash hands (I have to pick each of them up, of course). It doesn't take too long. Besides touching things, the other thing that I have to watch out for is Evelyn peeking under nearby stalls. Some women are slightly amused and thing it's cute....others, not so much. I apologize and it's slightly embarrassing.


However, with all this success, Sylvia complains her "butt hurts." It's because she has to poop, but refuses to go (there's no diaper rash). She saves it up for naps, when she's in a pull up. Then she tells me her butt doesn't hurt anymore. Honestly, I think she's doing it while she sleeps because she wakes half into her nap crying to be changed. We'll work on it. I think we might put her in bed with her Dora underware and she if she keeps her clean. I really just want her to be grossed out enough not to do it. I doubt I will have a 3 year old pooping in her pants, so I'm not worried. She's mastered pee-pee, and I'm so proud of her. Her reward for having a big poopie on the potty is a half of an ice cream sandwich. She's very excited about that and often asks to see the sandwich in the freezer. She's never had one before, so it's new and exciting!

Little Bit of Country

Evelyn has a definite twang. I'm not sure where she's getting this cute little accent, but it's very strong when she says certain things, like "right there". I think it's her Indiana roots coming out (my Dad's side have accents). We joke that Evelyn is a little bit of country and Sylvia is a little bit of rock-n-roll. They are so funny.

Growing Feet

Around mid-June, I bought the girls some cute sandals. Sylvia's were size 5.5 and Evelyn size 5. Sylvia still wants to wear these shoes and I think she finally realized why we say no. She's now in a size 7. Evelyn's feet are so small and narrow. She can still wear her size 5's, but can manage her sisters 5.5's. Notice the painted toes. They love to be like Mommy and want me to paint their toes.

Weekend Fun

This weekend was busy and FUN! To top it off, the girls were ANGELS. I don't know if I could ever say that about an entire weekend, but they were soooo well-behaved. Almost eerie.


Friday afternoon, I took the girls to a new spray park.

Saturday morning we played downstairs (see videop of Sylvia pushing Evelyn in the wagon...she's so strong!), went to the pool, hand lunch and then got poured on! We were already wet, it didn't matter! Saturday afternoon, we had the Venner's over (Jason, Kelly, Lucas (2.5) and Marlow (9 months) and Melissa and her boyfriend. The kids played nicely (having a blast singing ring around the rosey) and then we had a great meal together.


Sunday, it was yucky weather so we took the girls to the bounce house place (tons of bounce houses). David even bounced around! We grabbed lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant (Rio Grande). The girls were so good and Evelyn announced to everyone "bye bye everybody" when leaving and cracked up the whole place. After naps we hit the pool. They are getting so good at swimming with and without their floaties. We are continuing swim lessons into the Fall and Winter with a weekly session on Sunday morning.


Good fun!