Bedtime battles!

As usual, both girls are growing by leaps and bounds everyday. Ava is so darn smart! She is really testing me though! She calls me on things all the time. Lucy has stopped teething for the time being, so she is much more pleasant, but as stubborn as ever! She simply loves to be outside! She takes my hand and pulls me to the back door. She just can't get enough if the fresh air. She loves the park and wagon rides. Ava prefers to be inside and playing talk them or coloring. Such different girls!
Bedtime has revealed a new battle with Ava. She refuses to let me leave the room after stories, prayers, and lullabies. She has a screaming fit! I have tried many things: toys, books, a tent on her bed...nothing seems to work. She wants endless snuggies. I know in my heart that I need to enjoy them while I can because the day will come when she won't want mommy snuggies anymore. But it can be frustrating when I'm hungry and tired and should probably spend more than 10 minutes with Jeremy without the kids. Lucy on the other hand, has been doing fabulously in her big girl bed! She goes right down. Sweet girl! She I'd even reclaiming her naps, praise God! However, I did feel bad for her tonight when I poked in to check on her and witnessed her fall out of bed, fuss for a minute, then resolutely climb back in in her "stink bug" posture. What a cutie! Ahhh, I love my girls so much!!

Thanksgiving week at home (published late!)

It seems that Ava and Lucy grow by leaps and bounds almost daily. Ava is really into playing a game where I am the sun and she is a puppy on Christmas morning. So funny! I have to hold up a yellow hula hoop to represent the sun. She also has decided what I want for christmas. She said I want a "Christmas lotion". She knows I like bath and body works, so she put two and two together and thought that would be the perfect gift for me! So thoughtful! By the way, she said all se wants is "the pet shop guys airplane." thats all she says she wants. We even wrote a short letter to santa askng for it. Btw, shr definitely writes her name now. Over and over. She makes the "v" in the middle first then carefully writes an "a" on either side. Lucky her nsme only has two different letters and is a palindrome!
Yesterday we were in the Disney store and she saw this tiny Cinderella set with a doll and backdrop and she said, "I just want it so badly!!" then when I still said no and that she could ask Santa for it, she reluctantly bent down and put it back on the shelf and looked so terribly sad! But I was so proud of her. I gave her some water and she was shaking when she drank it, she was so upset snd overcome with longing for this Cinderella set. I tried to hug her but she wouldn't have it. She takes things so to heart, but I love her for that and was proud she put it back without throwing a fit. She is a big girl!
Lucy is so crazy! She now says "hi" and I have the best time getting her to say it over and over again. She is obsessed with the sid the science kid books and we read them over and over and over and over....always singing the "rug time" song. She just loves it!! She even ripped her book to shreds just like Ava ripped her "happy and you know it" book to shreds at that age because she loved it so much!
Ava and Lucy are actually playing better together lately. Ava still gets really mad at Lucy when she destroys things Ava is doing (which is fairly regularly) but at the same time, Ava has been hugging her and playing tag with her and telling me what Lucy "says". They are too cute in the bath and both love splashing me. I hope they continue to grow closer. Ava does her "Ava dance" and whenever she does it, Lucy dances too. I love that!
We are going a tad stir crazy this week since it is nearly impossible to take Lucy anywhere without her throwing a fit. She is one strong willed girl! She wants to walk, but in her own direction, not where we need her to go. I am happy she wants to walk and is energetic and independent, but good god is she a challenge!
More later, thanksgiving tomorrow!

Under the weather

Jeepers! Both girls are under the weather lately. Ava has an ear infection and Lucy is an absolute snot factory! Both of them went down at 5:30 tonight! That's unheard of for Ava, although since Lucy is giving up her naps already (mama mia! ) she falls asleep really early.Poor cranky kids. Not much else to do but wait it out. All of Ava's little friends are sick too, probably all got the same bug. Here's to a better tomorrow!!

What a day!

Phew! Today we overall had a fun day, we went on a picnic, went to the park, played...but then, Lucy discovered she could climb out of the playpen...so I tried her in her crib. Sure enough, she climbed right out. So, that was that. I disassembled the crib and now Lucy has a mattress on the floor until we get her a toddler bed. At 18 months old, she is finished with her crib. I disassembled it so fast, I didn't have time to be nostalgic or take a picture. But this is a milestone to be sure. We are a crib-less family. Wow.
Something fun that happened today was when I was giving Lucy and Ava a bath together. Ava started splashing and kicking in the water and then Lucy started laughing hysterically and doing it too. They were laughing and playing together. For the first time. They were almost mischevious together and Lucy was in heaven to be playing with her sister instead of fighting with her. So cute!!! I hope it is the first of lots of fun times for them playing together.
Also, Lucy now says "up".

Hopefully tonight will be smooth with Lucy on the floor, but we'll see...
Phew!!!

Good morning!

I woke up this morning to Ava Lucy and Jeremy running all over the house to sugarland's stuck like glue. So funny. Ava was chasing Jeremy and Lucy was chasing Ava. I was sorry I slept in, but happy that Jeremy got to have that time with them.

Ongoing observations

I plan on recording little things that happen throughout the day. They may or may not be in any particular order, but I think it is the little everyday things that can be the most important, and the things I want to remember most. Also, I might find the motivation to write more often this way!

Fall Fun!

Lucy and Mommy at the zoo

at La Jolla Shores after the aquarium with Nonna

sweet giggling Lucy

Ava & Mommy at Sea World

Ava & Nonna at our afternoon picnic

Ava's clownfish talking to the real clownfish

Ava & Lucy playing at the aquarium

Ava & daddy on a "big girl ride" at Sea World

Sea World with the girls' favorite Sesame guys!

Lucy at Sea World in the toddler jumpy area

Lucy on her first ride at Sea World!

Ava always loves the flying Elmo

Lucy enjoying lunch

At Disney on Ice

Ava's first glimpse of the flying Tinker Bell at Disney on Ice

Ava takes milkshakes very seriously! Corvettes after the Disney show

Sea World petting the starfish on Halloween celebration day

Nonna, Ava & Gramps at Sea World

Nonna as Tink

Mommy & Lucy with the fishes at Sea World

Ok, so admittedly, I am not good at blogging regularly. I just have to talk about how much Lucy and Ava are growing lately! Lucy waves obsessively at everything! It is too cute. She first waved on 4/23, crazy I haven't blogged since March!  I haven't written all summer and now it is mid fall, so yes, they are very different! I have to get on the ball! First of all, Ava is completely obsessed with Halloween! She loves everything about it! We have Halloween books, stickers, decorations, etc. I wonder if she likes to be a little scared. It is very unexpected that she likes this holiday so much! The spookiness, the spiders, skeletons, black cats, webs, pumpkins and everything else Halloween all make her giggle with excitement. She has changed her Halloween costume several times. She wanted to be a dog, then a spider, then a butterfly (this is the costume we have for her), then a black cat. She likes to pretend to be a black cat and I pretend to be a magical fairy. She meows all the time and wants me to pet her like a cat. So funny. She is just the most amazing little girl. Now that I am home full time, I can fully appreciate her unique, clever little ways. Every morning I go into her room and say "good morning, beautiful girl!" and she says "good morning..." followed by exactly what she is thinking at that moment. It could be anything from "I went pee pee in my diaper" to "mommy I dropped my tiny guinea pig can you get him please?!" Then she gives me a tackle huggie and we get ready for the day. This is my favorite time of day with her. She is so incredibly smart. She says the most amazing things and sometimes I can't help but laugh and she says, "mommy, don't laugh!". But I can't help it. She is also getting much better at being nice to Lucy. She gives Lucy hugs and plays tag with her, during which she inevitably knocks Lucy down then gives her a hug. Ava has come a long way from shouting "stop crying Lucy!" (Lucy would actually stop crying!) to talking for Lucy and saying what Lucy wants. Ava also says that everything happens "eight years ago", even if it is yesterday or last week. She doesn't understand that she wasn't alive 8 years ago!
For Lucy's part, she has really come into her own lately. First of all, she absolutely loves Ava! She always wants to go into Ava's room in the morning and help get Ava dressed. Lucy is also a Daddy's girl. Daddy is the only one she cuddles with and puts her little head down on. Her first day at the beach was on her birthday, that was fun! Except she kept eating sand. She is running now. She is now nodding and shaking her head to express what she wants along with strong "huuuuuhhh" for "yes". She isn't speaking yet except for Momma, Dadda, and Nonna. I am a little worried about her because at this age Ava was saying "banana" and "Abby Caddaby" but Lucy will move at her own pace I think. Lucy is very strong willed and knows what she wants! She loves to read anything that has a Sesame character in it and she likes to read over and over and over again. She also likes Sid books and likes it when I sing "rugtime" over and over and over again. She loves to dance! She bobs up and down and smiles and laughs like crazy when I bring out my computer because she knows I will play some music. So cute! She is quite a handful though because she knows her mind! Overall a good trait, though admittedly frustrating because she can't talk yet so I don't always know what she wants. I am loving staying home with my girls and watching them grow and change everyday. They are incredible little girls! I am so lucky to have my sweet babies!