The Day Nursery Files

Seasons and Stuff

Well it's not close to winter and we got like 2 feet of snow last week! Canceled Lu's Halloween party at school but she still got to wear her kitty costume. All she cared about was the costume and candy - she really was excited! Em couldn't really be bothered with going door to door, she just like the ballerina dress and the red sucker she got. :)

Yay! I love the "real" holidays that are coming up and can't wait! Can't believe they're already here though, I really am still stuck in August. Have been missing my grandma a lot lately, don't think that will change much for now. But the girls I think will be very excited for Christmas this year and that's fun and exciting for me. I plan to do a lot of baking with them this year so we'll see!

The girls are starting to get along well and play well together. It's surprising and really neat to see. Emily can hold her own! On occasion she'll go take something from Lu when she's not on guard and run off with a huge grin on her face, while Camille runs screaming after her, frothy-mouthed. It's really a sight. It happened today with a piece of toasted, buttered pita - a coveted snack, not sure why. Camille ran screaming after her and pulled her hair. I looked at Emily and she said "here yu yu, here" and gave it back. She clearly did not want to eat it. Tart!

Camille still loves to watch movies - could watch them all day I think, and Em cannot be bothered. She sits there a few minutes then runs around and chats. She's very social and seems to need human connections more than Lu. Lu is more aloof, although she's very sensitive - to God, and to others. She still loves her daddy more than anything. Em still awakes in a good mood, and while Camille has improved a ton, she still can be moody in the morning. That should be fun when she's 16. Both love to read and I like to leave books around everywhere for them. We go to the library a few times a month and get a huge stack to bring home. Camille loves the Bearnstein Bears (me too) and Em loves anything with Disney princesses. She is clearly my princess and Lu my tomboy. Lu can wear jammies or leggings/sweats all day and will moan when I ask her to dress up. Em usually always wants to be dressed from the get-go and it must be a dress/skirt.  Or, like today, she'll run around in her princess heels, naked, with a crown. :) Usually she wants to wear the ballerina dress we borrowed.

Me, I'm adjusting to the weather/seasons. It's going by SO quickly that before I know it it will be Easter, so I'm just enjoying. Working a bit here and there again, enjoy that. Like my boss. Jesse's company looks like it's ready to soar soon. Think his site is ready, it's www.mindbursts.com if you're interested.

Will add pics to the Autumn album.... 

Mommy's Bill of Rights

Okay so I probably should get my own blog.  This one is really for pics and tales of our babies, but please allow me to take a moment to tell the world how far I've come. Here are some beliefs I've learned to accept/embrace as a mother... beliefs that are helping me to shed the ever-present "mommy guilt."  If you do or don't do any of these things - great! No judging over here, just releasing myself from internal, often unrealistic expectations. :)

1.) It's okay to shop at the Goodwill. My kids' and my duds do not need to be high class, with the best fibers in the latest styles, with matching hats or amazing flower barrettes.  Their toys don't need to come of out a box straight from China.

2.) It's okay to have scrambled eggs and oatmeal for dinner and PBJs and mac&cheese for lunch. Every meal need not be gourmet, organic, homemade or perfectly well-balanced. 

3.) It's okay to bribe my kids with candy or other sweet items to get them to: take pictures, behave in the car, or get ready in a hurry without a fuss.  This doesn't happen everyday and Time Out isn't always an option. They will not be scarred nor get a mouthful of cavities.

4.) It's okay for the girls to nap for 3 hours if they are sleepy, or miss naptime altogether if we can't make it work into our schedule.  They make up for it the next day and don't seem to be worse off.

5.) It's okay for the girls to miss their daily bath and for Camille to go 2 days without having her hair washed.

6.) It's okay for the girls to stay in their PJ's most of the day if we are not going anywhere and are not expecting company. I don't prefer it, but sometimes they do... soon enough they'll have to be up-and-at-it every day.

7.) It's okay if the laundry isn't put away the same day it's washed; if the floor isn't mopped weekly; if the living room stays cluttered with toys for more than one day. I'll get to it.

8.) It's okay to enjoy being a stay-at-home mom for most days, but for others to want to leave for Italy - alone - for a month.

9.) It's okay to let Camille watch 2 movies in one day on occasion if she's tired, I'm tired, or if I'm overwhelmed with work and need her to be occupied.

10.) It's okay to not have the girls signed up for ballet, gymnastics, swimming, music or art at the Rec Center.

11.) It's okay to cry when Camille left for preschool, then decide I really do like the extra time for errands with Emily.

12.) It's okay to not play with the girls for hours each day just because I'm at home with them and can. The household and our lives also need to be managed, and I need time for myself as well.

13.) It's okay that two of Emily's walls are still blank because I never found suitable, affordable wall art.

14.) It's okay that we haven't purchased a swing-set yet.

I know there are more; I'll add to it when I can think of them. Thanks for indulging me. :)

Metrics!

Took Em to the doctor for her 2-year well-check today. She told us last night that she was scared and didn't want to go. Poor kid, she did well until it was time to go in and get weighed. Cried. Got bribed with a sticker. ;) She also screamed to get measured and to have her eyes, nose, ears, etc. looked at... sigh. But we did get metrics -- she's 25 lbs. and about 34-35 inches tall, which puts her at 30th and 85th percentiles I think.  Camille was also 25 lbs. at age 2 and was 34 and 3/4 inches, so looks like they'll be very similar as they age.  Doc estimated that Camille could be as tall at 5'10" so likely the same as Emily.  Wow.  Maybe we'll hope for 5'8" or 5'9"?  That's TALL.

Camille was a great big sister today - she sat on the examination table with Emily and also got weighed first.  She's around 35 lbs. now and is 41 inches tall, or 3 and 1/2 feet.   

October!

Here we are. Fall officially, cold weather... and gorgeous leaves!  Lots of pics to share; I've been delinquent, my apologies.

Girls are doing very well, thank the Lord. Em just turned two - CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?  She's talking nonstop and running around like a big girl. She tells me she has to go potty a lot so I think it's time to train her. I just don't want to yet! Not only is it inconvenient, but more importantly, she's still my BABY and I like her in diapers! :( I can't stand to think of her being big enough to use the potty. So, I'm giving myself until the Spring to get my act together, unless she insists, or my grandma scolds me from on high. :)

Camille is really enjoying school and is such a big girl. She loves her Bible and loves to hear about Jesus and the cross. She still loves her jammies, fruit, and watching movies. Her current favorite is the Veggie Tales Easter story we got from the library. She loves books and comfy clothes. Does not like having her hair combed, but at least I can get her to wear a headband on occasion. Still loves her purple blanket, and naps for a bit around 2PM each day.

Em is no longer craving scambled eggs; rarely wants them now. It's strange. She likes fruit and "pockeedoes" (popsicles). She loves dolls and princess stuff. Runs in her princess high heels, wears her crown. :) She doesn't prefer her jammies, wants to be dressed, preferably in a pretty dress with pretty shoes, and a fantastic "bandaband" or headband. She loves flower barrettes, or ones with sparkles and diamonds. What a girl! She calls toothpaste "pootase". :0 

Soon I'll post pics of Em's 2nd birthday party, pics of our annual "see the leaves" trip to Aspen, and anything else I remember.  :) Look to the left nav bar for new albums soon...

Already?

Tomorrow is Camille's first day of pre-preschool!  How did that happen so quickly! Let's see:

- new lunch box (subpar unfortunately) - CHECK
- menu to include all food groups presented in way that she'll actually eat it - CHECK
- change of clothing in a ziploc bag - CHECK (They have to "toilet" themselves you know; teachers aren't allowed to help wipe, so we expect some accidents.  How many 3-year olds do you know who can wipe their bums effectively after a poo?)
- clean outfit, ironed and layed out - CHECK
- gas in the car - CHECK

Sigh. I really want to hyperventilate and feel like a moron that it's affecting me this way.  I really am excited.  I know she'll have a blast, just hate to lose control over her days already!  Emily is excited too - I think she thinks she's going. :(  We'll have fun - I hope to use this time to exercise. We'll see.  Here are some pics of Camille in her new classroom, with her teacher: Mrs. Kathy. :) Yay!

 

Be sure to check the Summer album again; I've added more fun pics...This weekend we spent some time with grammy Madeline in Boulder, and some of my great high school friends who were in town.  (Camille is holding a snail she caught in a ziploc bag.  Gross.)  It's actually been 20 years since I graduated from high school... isn't that ridiculous??  I'm practically petrified.

   

Here are the girls in their new bicycle helmets...LOVE how cute they are in them.  Who knew kids needed helmets to ride trikes anyway?? Saw the neighbor kids with them on, and my kids riding next to them with naked heads. I felt like a renegade, delinquent mom, letting them ride free.  Actually I can't imagine that they're necessary, but I guess we'll teach them safety now ... for later, right?

 

Summer?

Did Colorado have a summer this year?? Am trying not to be bummed that school has started and the nights are getting cool. Typically I love this time of year, but really don't think we had enough warm, dry weather to make me ache for cool and damp. Sigh. My tomato plants are OUT OF CONTROL (well, except the one that died) - mostly because I didn't properly stand them up. So my new heirloom tomato plant is taking over my lawn, rock pile and rose bush. It's not a pretty sight. Hopefully the tomatoes will taste good?

Camille got a postcard in the mail from her new pre-preschool teacher. Fun! We are very excited and soon will make a trip to Walmart for school supplies. :) Yay! She will love it. Em and I will take fun walks, go to the park, run errands and have playdates. She'll also help me clean house I hope? :)  I need to learn, very quickly, how to make fun, cool, healthy, colorful lunches to send with Lu. She'll be attending school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30-12:30 and will need to bring a lunch. Can't have her mooning over other kids' lunch boxes.

As all you FB folks know, we took an amazingly long and suprisingly wonderful road trip to Oregon this month! We again joined the lovely Sahs family at the beach house in Depoe Bay, OR and truly had a relaxing, enjoyable, memorable vacation. It was fantastic! The girls did very well on the road - believe it or not, and hardly slept. Em had a few scream fits, but we expected them and kept our sanity. Lu did not keep her sanity however, and often screamed back at her. Those episodes were fun but thankfully not manifold. The hotels we picked were nice and clean and comfortable and while not as cheap as I'd hoped, were not too costly. It was a great adventure! The girls loved the ocean and getting their feet wet, catching the waves. We played in the sand, ran around and acted goofy. Read lots of books, played a lot, ate a lot and had good family/friend time. Eric kicked our hineys in Settlers of Catan. Pics are on the left nav in the OREGON ROAD TRIP 2009 album.

Earlier this month we had a lovely time at grandpa Frank and Gina's to celebrate grandpa's birthday. It was lovely! Camille got to ride Gina's horse, Magnum (and was SO excited!), we played and ate yummy food.  Here are a few pics (see more in the Summer album):

 

Ramblings of Growth

Girls are getting big. Figured it's time for an update, so prepare for a ramble!

We're enjoying the warm weather. I think this is the first summer we've really spent a lot of time in the yard. Emily and Camille walk and run around, ride their bikes, cart water from the pool in buckets, fight, play with rocks, pick leaves, fight, stare at the growing tomatoes, water flowers, eat popsicles, sit at their table, oh - and sometimes fight. :) I think the neighbors realize they will hear much screaming from this side of the fence. Hopefully they'll just smile and have pity.

Both girls are talking and doing so quite well. Emily just took us by surprise a few months back and began talking - she knows what to say to get what she wants, and her mouth is rarely closed. That kid likes to talk. Probably my favorite phrases are:  "Mommy, I want to HOD you!"  (i.e., mom please hold me) and "Mommy, I want to take off my jimmies out!"  (take these pj's off!)  She's also pretty bossy. Loves to tell Camille ("Mille!") what to do and how. "Sit here!" "No, no!" "Be nice!" "Stop that!"  Makes me wonder - I must sound like that to her!

Em is down to one nap a day now.  I have her wait until between 1-2 pm so she and Lu can nap together and I can have a moment's peace.  They usually nap 2 hours. Em still uses her paci although we've limited that to her crib. She still loves sleeping with her pink knit blanket and doesn't allow much else in her crib. She's super polite, saying "God bless you" when we sneeze, "please and thank you" and even says "you're welcome!" on our behalf. She sings her ABCs, counts to 10 and loves to sing "Twinkle Twinkle" and the "Itsy Bitsy Spider." She loves blueberries, apples, bananas and strawberries, but can't really be bothered with melons or cherries. LOVES eggs and milk, but like Camille, doesn't seem to love meat. Sigh. I try!!

Camille is officially a little girl and not a toddler. Duh. She has long legs up to here, and is just a sweet treat. She's very social and loves to make new friends, wave at people, and talk to anybody. She continues to be very observant and notices even slight changes in her environment. Can't get anything past her. She loves letters and numbers (though she refers to both as "numbers") and just today has asked me how to read letters in a book. So awesome! She still prefers fruit over just about anything else and loves Old Chicago pizza! Still sleeps with her fuzzy purple blanket but now uses jammies, thank the Lord. :) Thought she'd be 12 and want to sleep in her undies!

We have a routine that works fairly well so far. Wake up, brush teeth and hair, and get dressed. Em loves wearing dresses so that has rubbed off on Camille. Much easier to dress them now! Breakfast is lengthy because I like it, and they eat and play while I eat and read the newspaper and drink my coffee.  Then, we occupy ourselves until lunchtime, then it's naptime.  Sometimes Play Doh, coloring, the park, the pool, a playdate, WalMart, Sam's, or books. After naps we hang out upstairs while I straighten up, go outside, and/or watch a movie while I cook. After dinner and playtime with Dad, it's bathtime then more books, and bedtime!

Okay, enough for now I suppose. I've posted pics from the 4th of July in a new album on the left nav. We went to Vail Thursday through Saturday, then came back for a freezing fireworks show at home with friends.

Trying to Move Forward

Thank you to all who kept my family in your thoughts and prayers, for your visits, calls, emails and hugs.  I miss my grandma terribly!  But am trying to embrace each day and not miss out on the joys that my kids and life bring.  Here are some recent pics of us.  Soon I will create an album of grandma's last days, it will be on the left nav. Love you all!

 

Grandma Gladys!

To all who know and love my grandma Gladys, we've created a blog just for you and her!  Please visit:  www.gladysmontoya.com :)

Pics

Here are the Mother's Day pics. :)  Also, I'm creating a new album, Spring 2009, on the left nav bar...coming soon!