BittyBobo...

Thanksgiving song

2009-11-23T10:17:00.000-08:00

Molly has been singing this around the house for a few days. I asked her if I could record her and she gladly obliged but she was making the craziest faces watching herself sing. The resulting video is when I asked her to look at me instead, I can safely say no one will hire me a s a director.

Boo!

2009-09-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

I am back, but just with a few snapshots for now....

Pretty in Pink

2009-09-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Summer

2009-09-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

Hair Raising

2009-09-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

Ella and Molly at the Boston Museum of Science last Spring.

Love List

2009-02-18T12:03:00.000-08:00

Girls these are the things that I love about you, the things that put a smile on my face as I reflect on you long after you have gone to sleep. I believe these to be the things that make up the essence of you. That would give strangers an idea of the wonderful people you are.

Molly
1. The way your big eyes can say everything before you even open your mouth.
2. The way you call your father Dada even though you are capable of saying daddy.
3. That you hold on to your "baby dear" all through the night as you sleep.
4. That you are always happy to see me in the morning, almost as if you do not take my presence for granted.
5. Your vivid imagination.
6. The bond that you have with your sister.
7. Your insistence on wearing a "pretty" dress to school everyday.
8. When you ask "are you joking me"
9. The huskiness in your little tiny voice.
10. That I see so much of your father in you.
11. That your ambition in life is to be a mermaid, Hello Kitty, Strawberry Shortcake or whatever other character has caught your fancy. I love your impracticality.
12. The way you and Ella speak with each other when you think no one is listening, you have created your own world where the Bubby game is reality.
13. The passion you live with each and every day, I will not be surprised to see you on stage someday.
14. Your stubbornness, even though it can make my life hell.
15. How much you love you best friend.
16. Your beauty sometimes I can not believe you are mine.
17. When you put your tiny soft hands on my checks.
18. That almost every day you ask me "who I love best in the family" just waiting for the day I answer you, I know better and I answer diplomatically every day and it is the truth I love you all the best.
19. Your great sense of humour.
20. Your unabashed honesty, we always know what you are after.
21 That with all I love about you this list could be endless...............................................................

Ella
1. The one freckle on your nose.
2. That you soak it all in, you have a thirst to learn.
3. Your observation skills, no one can get anything by you.
4. Your beautiful red hair that you will not let me within 10 feet of with a hair brush.
5. That you want to be your own person, not blend in with the crowd, how it saddens you when your little sister has the audacity to copy you.
6. The seriousness you posses at such a young age.
7. The empathy you have possessed from such a young age, it surpasses some adults.
8. Your beautifully perfect little nose.
9. When from within that serious shell you exude such silliness.
10. That you are truly daddies little girl.
11. That I see so much of myself in you.
12. The outfits you pick for yourself and the pride you wear them with.
13. Your ability at seven to play it cool.
14. You always seem to know when to speak up and when to remain silent, so many never seem to figure this out.
15. That you contemplate everything, and I can actually see it on your face.
16. What a good friend you are.
17. Your beauty sometimes I can not believe you are mine.
18. Your ambition to be an artist
19. That you made me a mother, and have so far forgiven my many mistakes.
20. Your excitement when daddy walks through the door, it is such a gift to you father.
21. That it would take me a lifetime to finish this list.........................................................................

My Absence

2008-10-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

Molly's face could sum up how I have been feeling for quite some time now, and that explains why I never write here anymore. Avoidance. To explain myself or my situation to those who reads this is hard. I could stand in front of a crowd of strangers and detail my feelings with no shame, but to explain it to family and friends that evokes shame. I do not want to air my laundry lists of complaints and hardships, listing them out on the screen does the feelings behind those words no justice. All I can say is that even the day to day necessities of life and the to do list that goes along with my life has been hard, too hard. So I did not have the energy to come here and write about all the funny things Ella said, or capture moments with my camera, or explain the antics of Molly, to pretend. They still happened and I am sad that none of them will be documented but the time came to take care of myself.

As you can see Molly was just pretending to be sad, I wish I could say the same. But what I can say is I am doing all of the things I need to do to get back to the place I once was, or maybe even a better space for myself.

Phone Etiquette

2008-07-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

http://view.break.com/527579 - Watch more free videos

This guy is a real piece of work, have a listen for yourself.

Morning Hygine

2008-07-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

After her first cup of coffee Molly likes to go in the bathroom and "polish" her face. This involves wetting wadded up balls of toilet paper and then scrubbing her face with this glop of cold wet toilet paper. She then drops the globs in to the sink which she has filled with water allowing the toilet paper breaks down a little more thereby forming the perfect consistency to clog the sink drain. Sometimes she will even offer to polish me.

*She does not really drink coffee, she drinks her usual lemonade

Six

2008-07-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

When I look at other peoples six year old's they have always resembled children in every way the same is not true when I look at my own six year old. Her hands are still so small and she is still in need of help from an adult hand more often then not. To me the six year old who resides in this house is still a baby, she still breaks in to tears with the slightest provoking, she still wants the guard railing on her bed which looks so big even when she is stretched out in it. She still takes a bath with her little sister the focus not on getting clean but getting adequate play time. She never asks for privacy I do not think she even knows what that is yet. She still likes her fruit cut in to little bite size pieces. I always thought that six years old's were fairly independent until I shared a house with one. But as life is riddled with so many contradictions baby is not a label that fits Ella, she can tell time, she can count to 212 ( I am not sure why she thinks she can not count any higher than that), she can get herself a cup of water or her own snack, she can look thing up on the Internet all by herself, and every day I am amazed at all the things she does that I did not help her learn. It is just that when I look at her and all her intelligence and Independence I still see my baby. Other six year old's are children I am not sure what my six year old is but it does not seem possible that she does not have at least a little bit of baby left in her.

I wrote this a while ago but never hit publish, so here it is now.

The 4th

2008-07-14T09:18:00.001-07:00

She is still not crazy about fireworks but she looooved the sparklers, or sprinklers as she called them. It' s a small step but a step none the less.

Ella really liked the sparklers as well, Nick would would spell out her name with the sparkler and she thought that was really cool.

Ear Peircing

2008-07-14T08:01:00.001-07:00

Ella graciously volunteered for Molly to go first, and Molly not really knowing what was involved simply saw this as an opportunity to be first for once. So she hopped up on the chair with a big smile and her new Hello Kitty and let them pin her hair back.

Marking where the earrings will go.

Now here is where she started to loose her confidence.

But there were no tears or arguments .

But then they pushed the earring through and Molly let out a little yelp and gave an indignant ouch. Then she looked over at me with a look of mistrust that gave rise to feelings of guilt. However within just a minute she announced that her ears no longer hurt and her eyes danced over all of the girly merchandise that was contained in the store.

Next up Ella she got right up in the chair a somewhat nervous smile across her face.

As soon as her hair was pinned back she got very quiet. Then there was a delay, they were going to do both ears at the same time and the other woman had been held up on her way to the front of the store. Ella was having second thoughts, she whispered to me "I don't want them to do both at the same time", I reassured her that this would be the best way. I further explained that it would only hurt for a second, reminding her of how impressed the nurses had been with her bravery at her last doctors appointment when she needed 3 shots and hardly flinched.

Armed with that information she was ready.

She winced, stiffened and prepared herself for what was to come....

Then it was over and she realized it was no big deal. Not a tear, not a yelp or an ouch, her shoulders relaxed the tension released and she just wanted to see how the earrings looked.

Windows

2008-07-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

Forget the rest of the house I would be happy to live in this garage.

As far as these windows go they are not spectacular in and of themselves but the view is and I just love the red steel exterior and the floor to ceiling windows on the first floor.

I love these old windows where the centers tilt out for ventilation.

I do not know why but I just love windows, you might say it is a bit of an obsession. I have a huge old window in my living room that my mother found and I transformed in to a mirror. I also have six windows in my front hall that I found leaning against a tree with a free sign on them. I knew I had to have them the minute I saw them but I had no idea what I would do with them. Months later I decided to build some book cases in the front hall to utilize the orphaned windows. Amazingly enough the larger two windows fit perfectly on bookcases I had already built (the bottom row of book cases was already built and I built on top of that to extend them to the ceiling) in the front hall, it was just meant to be.

Most of the items that went in to renovating the front hall were found items. The cubbies for the coats and the shoe drawer were planters that someone was throwing away, I just added some paint, trim and hardware.

The dresser was found at the dump by my mother and I refinished it in white to coordinate with the rest of the furniture in the room.The bench was given to me by my mother in law and like the dresser was given a coat of white paint.

The first set of bookcases I built were made with wood that someone was getting rid of, another find by my mother, come to think of it the room would not be what it is without my mother. She also found the window that replaced the the three small casement windows that adorned the front of my house when we first moved in.

The front room is my favorite room in the house and by far the least amount of money was spent on this room. It was a room that was mostly wasted space when we moved in. It was not really large enough for seating area, although we did have Christmas dinner out there one year. I just had no idea what the purpose of the room should be and I am glad I gave it the time to evolve in to the best use of space for our family. So in case you are curious (most of you reading have seen the progress) but for those of you who have not....

View #1 the front hall as it was when we looked at the house, look how little Ella was.

View #2 -After I ripped of the wood paneling and framed out the laundry room. Don't worry the ugly lights, mirror , sink and cabinet are long gone.
View #3- This is the view from the same direction after all of the work had been completed.
View #1- The room facing from the other direction when we first looked at the house. See the ugly little windows and the dark trim.
View #2 After moving in and starting the work. Nick I will never forget your face when you came home and saw that I had ripped off all the paneling, I knew it would have to be done when you were not home because you would have been content to leave the paneling right where it was.
View #3 - The view from that direction after the work was done, you can see the other side of the room if you look at the picture with the coat and shoe cubbies.

Happy Birthday Bobo

2008-07-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

Molly Ann today you are five years old! For some reason you think your birthday is July 7th but you will happily accept a party on any old day of the month thank goodness. When I wished you a happy birthday this morning you told me it was not in fact your birthday then you asked indignantly how I would know that anyway. I explained that I was there when you were born and it is not likely a day I will ever forget. As the doctor pulled you out he said this one is all checks and I have never been certain if he was referring to the checks on your face or perhaps the other ones, either way they are both adorable in my opinion. As soon as you caught your breath from arguing with me you jutted your bottom teeth and inquired about whether or not they were loose yet. You are my silly, dramatic (you wear costumes more often than regular clothes), beautiful little girl and all of us who love and adore you have been lucky enough to spend the past 1825 days with you. Happy Birthday Bobo!!!!

Summer Evenings

2008-07-01T12:07:00.001-07:00

Ella and Daddy.
Maga's kitchen.
Most of the time when I pull out the camera this is what I get.
Ella actually took that photo of me so I thought I would include it, she really likes to take photos. She looks so cute with my giant camera angled up against her eye and the strap around her little neck and she surprises me with the results of her efforts.
She no longer looks like a toddler but very much a little girl, even so I bribed her to put on this dress which I adore but is a size 2. I promise the dress will now be retired but she just looked so adorable.

Ella has to bite in to all of her food using the left side of her mouth but with that tooth loosening more and more by the day what will she do?

So I picked the dress but the shoes were all Bobo's idea.
I just love this photo, running free in the yard with the scent of burgers on the grill.
Molly was a little concerned about the possibility of "funder"(thunder). She would peck her little face through the screen door and ask "did any of you guys hear a little funder" Thankfully no one had head any and there was none for the rest of the night.

Ella is now 100% daddies little girl and has little use for what comes out of my mouth, notice the rolling of the eyes?
These photo's were all taken at Maga's house on a warm summer evening, which is my favorite kind.

Breakfast with Papa

2008-06-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

Papa we had a great time with you on your visit and we all wish that our visits could be more frequent...

Field Trip

2008-06-30T21:41:00.000-07:00

I volenteered to chaperon Ella's last field trip of the year. The trip was to the Gray Wildlife Park and you can see in these photo's that one of my girls was ready to have fun and the other was ready to sulk.
It was a rainy stick day and most of the animals were hiding out so it was not the most exciting trip. However the lack of animals was a positive for Molly and by the end of the trip she was running and having a great time with Ella and her friends.

Tiny Dancer

2008-06-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photo's from the dress rehearsal of the girls ballet recital. I must admit I was a little worried that the girls would have stage fright when the big day came but it was not an issue. In fact Molly seemed to enjoy being up on the stage, she even stopped dancing several times during the performance and gazed out at the crowd with a giant grin on her face. A moment of panic was shared between Nick and I when the music for the girls number started and then abruptly stopped while another dance class filled the stage. We nervously looked at each other and I can only speak for myself but I was 100% sure the hold up had something to do with one of our children. As it turns out it was another dancer arriving late that caused the hold up. The girls even did an encore number so the family of the late arrival could see the performance. It was a fun night for everyone and we were lucky to have Papa in town for the big night.

The Good the Bad and the Ugly

2008-06-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

I swear that I can cook, in fact sometimes I would say I cook quite well but today was not a shinning example of my ability to cook. It was Simone's birthday (the little girl that I watch once a week) and I promised the girls we would make cupcakes. I would bake them and they could decorate them. They were all looking forward to the treat but sometimes things do not turn out the way we plan them. First of all I followed the directions and used this mixerso I know I did not over beat the batter but it turned out very fluffy and thick, not like any other cake I batter I have made before. I shrugged it off and did my best to get in in the darn paper cups. Secondly I opened the oven door and there was no heat despite preheating the oven. Hmmm, I had promised the kids cupcakes and they were checking in every two minutes to see if they were ready yet. So I turned to my only other option of baking the cup cakes, the toaster oven. The problem, the cupcake pan was never going to fit in the toaster oven. SO I put the paper cups in the bottom of the broiler pan hoping that the combined effect of crowding them together and the edge of the pan would offer enough support. I knew better but I just wanted to keep my promise. So I consoled myself with the fact that they would not care if they looked a little deformed they would still taste great right? Well witness the results for yourself.
Golden brown tops and gooey raw liquid inside. As you can imagine the inside of my toaster oven did not fare so well either. At this point I thought maybe I could use some little condiment cups that my grandmother had given me and I even went so far as to squish the cupcake liners in to them.

However I decided another disappointment was too much for me and in defeat I packed the kids in the car and headed off to purchase some cupcakes from the grocery store.

Part Time Work?

2008-06-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

I was looking at Craigslist to see if there were any good part time jobs available when I stumbled on this job listing looking for surrogate mothers, notice at the bottom of this ad that it is classified as a part time job. Who knew that you could be pregnant just part time I wish someone had clued me in on that when I was pregnant with my girls. That would have made things easier when I could not sleep because of horrendous heartburn. Or when I was a swollen emotional mess. I'm just saying.

Become a Surrogate Mother. Our established Surrogacy Program seeks loving women to carry couples biological babies. Help a loving and infertile couple become parents by bringing their little miracle(s) into the world. We are willing to pay above average compensation and experienced carriers are welcome. Call our toll free #1-888-363-9457 or visit our website www.melissabrisman.com to fill out an application ref 6/20/08

Requirements:
• Between the ages of 21-44
• Non-smoker
• Have given birth

Starting Compensation: $23,000 and up, plus all expenses paid by Intended Parents

Compensation: Generous
This is a part-time job.

Peaks Island Scenes

2008-06-24T09:01:00.001-07:00

Peaks Island

2008-06-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

Or as Molly calls it Peace Island, which surprises me considering the way the trip started out. After arriving at the ferry terminal Molly noticed a few passengers of the canine persuasion. She was not at all happy about dogs being allowed on board as fellow passengers. As she cried and pleaded with Nick who was holding (restraining) her I offered to take her back to the car and pick up everyone in a few hours when they returned. Not particularly for Molly's benefit but for those poor people who expected a pleasant boating experience and were instead subjected to a panic stricken Molly. Molly in a Panic is not a picture easily painted you would have to witness the event to truly appreciate the depth of her display. It was not a happy moment for the Morris family but Nick insisted she should stick it out. Nick made the right call, when we found out seats from which no dogs could be seen she started to loosen up and have a great time. They played on the beach and enjoyed themselves on the island. I would rate the trip a 50% success because on the return to mainland we had another event which put the Morris family on display in a not so pleasant light. Imagine an upscale shop with lovely home furnishing then add two giggling, screaming, running, wild children you end up with two extremely embarrassed, pissed off parents, a mortified Maga and a few unhappy shop owners. Which prompted our fast departure full of dirty looks from the premise and a slew of punishments for our offspring. Does not sound very good maybe I need to lower my success rate to %25?

The Calm Before the Storm

2008-06-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

Would you believe that moments after this photo was taken the day took a turn for the worse. A turn that involved crying over ice cream treats had been revoked and a certain four year old screaming, kicking and clawing at her father as we hastily made out way back to the car. I know it has been said before but it is a damn good thing that children are as cute as they are.

Bobo Graduates

2008-06-05T05:45:00.000-07:00

Bobo had her preschool graduation a few weeks ago and I have been meaning to write about it ever since. It was a nice day and honestly I think that Bobo was thrilled to have the year behind her, she just never really settled in at school. She looked adorable in her cap and gown and while I think the whole idea of having any sort of graduation ceremony for 4 and 5 year old's is a bit silly it was a nice ending to her preschool days.
The children all had to draw a picture about what they would like to be when they grew up and of course Bobo had a practical profession in mind, she drew a picture of Hello Kitty. Alright in full disclosure I drew the damn cat in pencil and she traced it in crayon after an altercation she had with a teacher over the viability of a career as Hello Kitty. When the teacher gently explained that she may have some trouble becoming a cat Bobo refused to participate in the activity. My little "kitty" is so dramatic sometimes. I really do wonder what she will do with all of this creative energy and flair someday. I have no doubt she will keep us all on our toes and well entertained for years to come.

Spring

2008-05-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

What is that smell?

2008-05-09T07:55:00.000-07:00

As I try to get some work and chores done I overhear little bit's of dialogue and catch glimpses of role play from a game the girls call Beauty Village, a game previously known as My Seasons, which had replaced the Bubby Game. The names they come up with make me smile, I live with these ladies and have not yet begun to understand the rules and slight variations that differentiate these games or make believe worlds. Today I could not resist snapping a few photo's of the girls in character. I find that I do not take as many photos as I should or wish to. The changes in front of my eye's do not register until I happen to see a photo from a month or two ago and then the transformation can startle me. How can I be missing these changes and far worse how can I let so many day's and events go undocumented. It just happens unfortunately, but today I took pictures and I will remember how they came bounding down the stairs in a fit of giggles asking to go outside to pick dandelions. It was the first time I gave them permission to go outside unattended, and in a role reversal it was Ella who hesitated and Molly who vowed to watch after her big sister. I instructed them to leave the door open and as the cool spring breeze reached my face so did the overwhelming nose prickling smell of perfume. They had found the stash of perfume I have not worn for years and sampled some for themselves.

The Name Game

2008-05-09T07:17:00.000-07:00

Molly and Ella both got baby dolls from the Easter Bunny. The babies actually coo and babble rather loudly I might add when they sense movement, thank god we found the control that will completely shut them off. Around here the Easter Bunny hides the basket and the girls must hunt for their goodies when they wake up. Well Molly and I came down the stairs first and spent just a few moments waiting for Ella and Nick, but in that few minutes strange noises started to emanate from the corner of the room. At first Molly tried to blow it off with some nervous laughter but then a look of panic set in. She did not like the sound of this at all, "what was that" she uttered it's a phrase we hear all to often from Bobo. I managed to keep the panic level fairly low by letting her begin to look for her goodies. However the noises which should have been a big tip off to the loot had the opposite effect because she was avoiding that area of the room like the plague. When Ella arrived on the scene it was she who braved that corner of the room noises and all to retrieve the Easter Basket for her sister. As soon as Molly saw that the source of the dreaded sounds was the baby doll she had admired in Target all was well in Molly's world. Ella who is becoming way to smart for both myself and the Easter Bunny honed in on her basket within a minute of searching and was happy to see she had also received a babbling baby. One look at her new doll and she declared that her baby was to be named Barack Obama. She continues to make references that her baby is going to be the next president but this is coming from a girl who also believed Obama was running for principle of her school so we shall see.

A New Obsession

2008-04-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

Molly's has bid farwell to Dora and is moving on to bigger and better characters, Hello Kitty. She loves to watch the videos and tributes that "grown up's" make and put on You Tube. In all honesty they kind of freak me out, I do not understand any adults fascination or adoration of a oversized cat. But I personally know a few adults who like Hello Kitty and still have respect for them personally so I will give these You Tube video creators the benefit of the doubt maybe they are as normal as the Hello Kitty lovers that I know, and you both know who you are if you are reading this. Along with the videos Molly loves to look up all the Hello Kitty merchandise her parents are depriving her of. This expensive number really caught her eye and she knows she will never actually own one until she can pay the $6,299.99 price all on her own but I thought you might find the reveiws of this product as hilairious as I did. Check it out


Hello Kitty is our new nanny	12/14/2007 - by Berta from Fontana, CA US
I have a twelve year old daughter and a two year old son. I am a single mother that works two jobs just to keep food on the table. Recently, I won a radio contest and was given a Hello Kitty Robot as the prize. And am I glad I did. Since we have invited Hello Kitty (Kiki-as my son calls her), life has been so much easier for everyone. My daughter is no longer the built in babysitter for my son. Hello Kitty does all the work. I always set Kiki to parent mode, and she does a great job. My two year old is already learning words in Japanese, German, and French. I never worry that my pre-teen daughter isn't keeping a good eye on my son, Kiki does that for me. And when I get home the kids are fed, bathed and Kiki is in bed asleep with my son. Thanks Hello Kitty!!!


Like a family member	12/02/2007 - by Rachel La Mar from Claremont, CA US
Robo Kitty is amazing! My 2 yo Max just LOVES his kitty friend. My husband and I are very busy lawyers. We leave by 6 am every morning and don't get home until sometimes 10 at night (and don't get me started on all the travel!). We've been through 8 nannies; the first 4 were pretty stressful. After that we got Robo Kitty, and it changed our lives. Max is so attached to her, he barely noticed when we let the last 3 nannies go. The 7th nanny refused to take a pay cut, EVEN THOUGH Robo Kitty did most of the work! Our new nanny is much better; Consuella works for only $7 an hour! Robo Kitty is like another parent at our house. She talks so kindly to my little boy. He's even starting to speak with her accent! It's so cute. Robo Kitty puts Max to sleep, watches TV with him, watches him in the bath, listens to him read. It's amazing, like a best friend, or as Max says "Kitty Mommy!" Now when I'm working from home I don't have to worry about Max asking a bunch of questions or wanting to play or having to read to him. He hardly even talks to me at all! He no longer asks to go to the park or the zoo - being a parent has NEVER been so easy! Thank you Robo Kitty!

Those are just two of my favorite reviews which Nick insists must be a joke I hope for the children of these people it is a joke, the link to the site is below if you wish to read them all.

http://www.dreamkitty.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=K-EM070605&Category_Code=HKDL&Store_Code=DK2000

Dusting Things Off

2008-04-11T06:39:00.000-07:00

**Enough of the Elf Family- This one is dedicated to my most loyal fan and possibly the only reader not of blood relation!! Here you go Dan I promise a more regular posting schedule from now on.**
Clearing the cobwebs away and making an apology for my prolonged absence but what can I say life keeps speeding up the pace on me. I feel like a child who has not ridden their bike since last summer so pardon my rusty out of practice writing.
Where to start????
Molly had a urinary tract infection which has been great fun for the whole family. Lets start with the initial visit to her pediatrician. Molly who is usually fine with visiting her much loved pediatrician was protesting the appointment on the car ride over, the complaints became more urgent as we pulled in to the parking lot. We made it in to the building and things seemed to be improving she had sensed her defeat and accepted it with as much grace as any four year old possesses that is until the nurse had the audacity to ask her to urinate in a cup. Peeing in a cup was not what Molly had in mind and as we shut the door to the airplane size bathroom I sensed I was in for a fight. I set my Starbucks cup on the edge of the tiny sink praying it would not spill the "tall" which =very small,overpriced, still full and steaming hot coffee, then placed the clipboard the nurse had given me on the other edge of the sink and had to place my purse on the floor. Yuck, on the floor of a doctors office bathroom I will not even imagine the germs but this was nothing compared to what was in store for me. So as I pull down Molly pants and explain what she needs to do the panic washes over her face. I gave up trying to dechiper Molly's fears a long time ago, the girl is afraid of everything and the simple task of peeing in a cup was just another to add to the list of Molly's ever growing fears. She certainly was not going to hold the cup herself so first I tried to hold the cup in between her legs but she kept pushing it away and clenching her thighs so then I tried another approach and this arrangment actually had the top of my hand submerged in the toilet water, the water where sick people pee. This ranked up there with the time that I looked up from brushing my teeth and in the mirrors reflection saw that I was using the toothbrush I use to scrub the grout along the edge of the toilet and tub, that resulted in a nasty strep infection a few days later. Suffice to say this was a bad start to the day. I am sweating in a small windowless bathroom trying to get a terrified girl to pee in a cup. I even go so far as trying to make a game of it "hey Molly can you pee on mommies hand wouldn't that be funny I bet you can't pee on my hand!" then it was on to the threats "we are never going to Blockbuster again if you don't pee in this cup" I just hope the fan was not drowning out that all of this good entertainment and that the doctors and nurses were able to hear the whole ordeal through the hollow wood door. So we make it through the appointment but obtained no sample so this will be more fun and games for me at home later. I did succeed at home and they were able to diagnose her and get her some medicine. The treatment proved as much fun as the doctors appointment, lets just say that the antibiotics did not agree with Molly's tummy and so Nick and I spent the next ten days cleaning up many accidents and we are not talking about a little pee here. I knew having children would involve a lot of contact with bodily fluid but I had no idea this stage would go on for so long, between bed wetting and sickness I still have almost as much "contact" as I did when I had two little one's in diapers.
On to something a little more pleasant perhaps? Ella has been going through a bit of a stage I guess the developmental theory about 1/2 ages really is true. Both of my children seem to hit bumps in the road around the 1/2 ages. Ella's favorite new phrase is "who cares" she loves to throw this one at me as often as possible. For example Ella please stop pinching your sister, her response "So? Who Cares" I care Ella followed up again by "who cares" you get the idea. In real life it is oh so charming. Easter was lovely when you combine her current attitude with too much sugar. But I know many of you reading love my girls and do not see them nearly often enough so I do not want to blab on and on about the negatives because whatever their few faults they are the most wonderful and charming girls in the world. And Ella is now a charmer with a few less teeth check out the photo!

The Elf Family

2007-11-30T07:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1116104298

Click above link to see us embarrass ourselves.

Ella's Grocery List

2007-11-29T08:08:00.001-08:00

This was a list of things that Ella needed me to pick up for her at the supermarket.

I know it is a little hard to read so here it is,

Stackers (these are little polka dot fruit roll ups)
Ice Cream
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Band Aids
Movie
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Vitamins
And some juice

It is a good thing that she knows with a diet like that she will need vitamins and band aids.

Who What When Where and WHY

2007-11-20T10:13:00.000-08:00

Bobo is going through a phase it is some times charming, cute and endearing but most of the time relentless, exhausting and yes I can admit downright irritating I have even had thoughts of gouging my own ears. It is the dreaded question everything at least 100 times stage. Bobo has taken to this stage with a fierce determination to leave no question unasked. Every day with Bobo is an interrogation of everything from the smallest, most mundane, insignificant topics all the way up to the biggest philosophical questions man has pondered throughout the history of the human race. As I typed this last sentence she has asked me three times what day it will be tomorrow and what day it was yesterday, simple enough questions but her understanding of the tenses is a little fuzzy so she can trip you up. When she was clearly asking what yesterday was by asking what tomorrow is and you give the wrong answer the temper begins to flare. You see she already knows the answer but why waste an opportunity to ask another question, it is guaranteed fun for everyone involved. To illustrate my point Molly had the flu on Saturday she was so tired that she fell asleep on the wooden playroom floor with her dolly's little receiving blanket draped over her legs. Keep in mind this is the child who fights sleep with every ounce of her little being every day of her life. After waking up an emptying the contents of her stomach the line of questioning that accompanies our every day existence together started right back up. She wanted to know why she did not feel well, why did she have germs, why did she have a virus, why did she have to throw up, in fact many of these were asked in the midst of actually vomiting. Did any of these questions carry such urgency that she couldn't wait the two minutes it took her to throw up to ask them. Poor thing, but it was all I could do not to laugh at her I mean really can nothing slow down the procession of questions. When I ask Bobo why she asks so many questions her reply is simply, because your my mama

Next stop Broadway

2007-11-19T15:55:00.000-08:00

Well maybe not right this minute there is a strike to consider but my youngest has become enamoured with a song from A Chorus Line. And yes I put off writing about this because in order to tell the tale I have to admit that in a moment of nostalgia it was I who first played her the tune. Now at any given moment in my house you might find yourself with front row seats to a one woman show, she only has one tune but she belts it out with enthusiasm and charm.

"This man is NOTHING, this course is NOTHING, if you want something go find a better class and when you find one you'll be an actress and I assure you that's what finally came to pass"

The song does contain a few no no, grown up words but the one she has really latched on to is Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ she exclaims exactly as it can be heard on the tune as she catches my eye in the rear view mirror a smile stretching all the way up to the corner of her eyes "you didn't get mad at me when I said that bad word" No, pause, (not sure of what I am about to say knowing it could backfire in ways I have not even considered) when you are singing the words to a song it is different. The problem is the words in question are one I have mumbled a little too loudly and far too often so she is already familiar with the phrase and the numerous occasions that mommy feels call for it's use. At least I did not let her listen to Dance 10 Looks 3 in which the dancer explains how "tits and ass can change your life" although if memory serves me right I did my fair share of dancing, prancing and singing to that tune in my living room well before I had either.

How Can I Tell You That I Love You, That I'm Always Thinking Of You

2007-11-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

We have been married for 2,631 days not to mention all the days we dated (which sorry I was to lazy to calculate that total after figuring out the first one, and I know you could have figured it out in your head in a matter of seconds but I had to break out a calculator) and I love when you surprise me or I glimpse another little piece of who you are. Like getting in your car the other day when the CD player started up I was greeted by a Ween song which I do not even know the name of, but it is a song that I know and one you listen to and enjoy so it was not a surprise to me but the next song on the CD was a Tracy Chapman song. That was not what I was expecting to hear and it made me smile, here I thought you just conceded to my music choices occasionally but maybe some of my taste has rubbed off on you because somewhere nestled between 50 cent and Nirvana there was there was another discovery, a Tina Turner song. I do not want to out you on your musical selections just for the sake of embarrassment but to let you know how much the little things like that can bring me closer to you, to us.

What's the Forcast?

2007-10-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

Need a quick weather update just check with Molly she usually has the most up to date information concerning the weather. One of her favorite television stations is the Weather Channel, she would watch for hours if we let her. She will ask me to put on the weather channel and within a few minutes when she feels she has an accurate picture of all the major weather events she will wander off. Do not mistake this for an opportunity to change the channel if you do she will become hysterical. She likes to hear the comforting soundtrack of the Weather Channel running in the background and her little ears perk up and she comes running when she hears weather on the 8's. For she knows this means a local weather update, and for the remainder of the afternoon you will hear her try to drop phrases like partially cloud in to the conversation. She was really taken by the phrase generally sunny and repeated it over and over to herself and anyone else who would listen. She even earmarks occasions with the forecast of the day, I asked if she remembered our special lunch together last week and she pondered a moment before replying yes it was the gray drizzly day. I am not sure if this fascination with the weather has anything to do with her fear of thunder storms, maybe this is an attempt to put some order and control on the weather in her corner of the world. I do know that it is endearing to see Molly and her sister (who indulges Molly with a slight interest in the weather as well) eating their dinner and watching the weather updates together.

Forever?

2007-10-10T15:17:00.001-07:00

Ella just asked me if forever was the longest thing, I told her that it was indeed, that forever was endless. She thought for a second and replied "so it's like every green light in every city in every country in the world being green all the time never red or even yellow?"

Dancing Queens

2007-10-08T10:55:00.001-07:00

Molly may have a better sense of rhythm but I think Ella has an edge when it comes to ballet. When the teacher told the girls to stand up straight Ella pulled in and up effortlessly straightening her spine and lengthening her neck. While Molly stood in exactly the same stance and just wiggled in anticipation of the music. Ella was a studious little ballerina while Molly's little pigeon toes rebelled from first position, I had to stifle a giggle as the teacher tried to position her feet just to have them spring right back. Whatever the future hold for these two little dancers I will say that they both adore their teacher and are having a wonderful time.

2007-10-07T15:36:00.000-07:00

So we spent this lovely Sunday afternoon in October at the beach, it is probably the last time we will see the beach this year and while it seemed a little chilly as we left the house before we abandoned the beach Molly had gone in the water all the way up to her waist. We had our own little section of the beach until a rather odd trio appeared. They came on to the scene and immediately one of them curled up on the sand and began to slumber another slunk of to god knows where and the third began making her way over to us. It did not take very long to deduct that this member of the trio had been indulging in some early afternoon cocktails. She was a very friendly maybe a little too friendly and did not want to let the conversation go and she followed us every time I tried to steer the girls a little bit this way or a little bit that way. Finally something else caught her eye and she was on her way down the beach. As her friend continued to sleep a seagull found the picnic the trio had packed for themselves, within seconds the seagull was making a awful sound that seemed to signal the rest of the crew that he had hit the jackpot. Before you know it the sleeping woman and her picnic lunch were surrounded by birds going to town on what turned out to be a grocery bag full of food. The girls and I were down by the water as this was happening at the top of the beach by the sand dunes and I must admit that even if I had not been watching over two little girls I do not think the good Samaritan in me would have intervened in the situation that was unfolding. More and more gulls approached as number one peacefully slumbered not stirring a bit and #2 and #3 were no where to be seen. Some one else with a bigger heart than mine did try to persuade the feeding frenzy of birds but to no avail. After the sandwiches which were tightly wrapped in large sheets of wax paper and the bags of chips in cellophane bags had been shredded and devoured I see friendly member of the trio making her way back to her spot. She spots the commotion from a bit of a distance but the early afternoon cocktails are taking their effect on her making any sort of speedy approach. She ungracefully runs and stumbles and runs and stumbles to the birds shaking her fists and yelling, number one is still sleeping, and it takes her a good four to five minutes to get these birds to abandon the food. I watch as she salvages what she can, which really would you try to salvage anything from that scene? Then she glares in my direction as if I should have done more to protect her picnic and part of me wonders if maybe I should have, but anyone who knows my children knows that they are terrified of any living feathered or furry creature and would never have forgotten the horror they felt as I charged in to a flock of seagulls. Besides I had to conserve my energy to get my children and there gear back to the car and cleaned up. Which is no easy feat when you consider my kids strange dispositions. My girls are all for getting down and dirty until suddenly every speck of sand must be off of their body before a full fledged panic attack is under way. So a few hours at the beach involves careful planning on my part which for some reason I did not consider today and actually went to the beach on a whim without the proper equipment. The equipment consists of bottles of water to rinse hands and feet, changes of clothing, baby wipes for sticky spots and ice cold drinks for the ride home. Today we improvised and it was not as disastrous as I thought, dare I say that maybe they are adapting to life as "normal" humans sand and all. So today I had them rinse their hands in the ocean then their feet and then jump in to my arms and if you could only have seen me carrying them both all the way from low low low tide all the way back to the parking lot. Molly kept saying why are you making that noise with your breath? Well I don't know maybe carrying 70-80 pounds in wet mushy sand is a little hard for a mom as out of shape as me, you really don't need to insult the person who is carrying your little butt quite a distance just to avoid a little sand on your tootsies.

After

2007-09-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

And here are the afters, I went to the fabric store and found nothing at all inspirational so then I dragged the girls to Pier One and found these dish towels that I thought might work. Ella and Molly both were taken in by Pier One and there were many oohs and ahhs heard while we looked around. I do not know if has anything to do with my interest in design but it seemed unusual to me that two little girls would be so excited by a store that sells furniture and decorative items. It made me smile to hear them appreciate the rugs and the curtains making suggestions about where they would fit in around our house. It is a good thing that they were able to charm me with those memories because just a short time later as I reupholstered the chair seats it was an entirely different emotion that they provoked. You see I had set up the art easel and Molly had been painting by herself for over an hour in an entirely organized and controlled fashion. I do not know exactly what happened when Ella joined in but a few minutes later Molly ran in to the room that I was working in with red paint up to her elbows and just dripping from her little finger tips. As soon as I raised my voice Molly took off in a mad dash screaming "noooo mommy" as bright red paint was flung all over my kitchen and playroom, then bathroom where I cornered her and discovered her accomplice with another shade of paint that had been used to decorated my bathroom. My heart began to race as I scanned the room calculating the damage, the purple and red paint seeping in to the grout lines. I was quick to action stripping the girls and putting them in the shower where they both cried indignantly that they needed to get out this minute. I grabbed the shower head with my left hand and hosed them down in a fashion similar to a fireman putting out a blaze, while scrubbing at the grout with my right hand. All the while yelling " in the four and six years you have lived in this house do you not know me well enough to know this sort of thing makes mommy really mad and realllyyy crazy?" and perhaps I threw in a few " what the hell were you thinking". Ella was sobbing while Molly urged me to "use your regular voice mommy, use your regular voice". I wrapped them in towels and in a eerily quiet about to really loose it voice suggested that they might want to dress themselves and give me a few moments to get the mess under control. As I finished cleaning the bathroom I noticed the window was wide open so I can only hope that the neighborhood enjoyed their free Friday afternoon show. I then ventured in to the other rooms to survey the damage, it was not good, I will just say that I spent well over and hour just locating and cleaning paint splatter. It was not the way I wanted to start my weekend but luckily I spent the rest of my evening at a restaurant sans children laughing as I repeated the tale to my girlfriends.

Before

2007-09-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

Notice the lovely stains

New found friendship

2007-09-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

Ella could not have been happier to report that she had in fact sat next to Cassidy on the bus and then she had more good news to share, there was going to be a rendezvous the next day in Target in the Leapster aisle. I asked Ella what time this meeting was going to go down and she looked at the kitchen clock and said "well how about 2:00". Then I was left with the task of breaking her heart when I explained that if they had not set up a time to met then it was going to be a little hard to coordinate our arrival times. Ella was not going to let go of her play date that easily she tried to convince me it would work out, that we would surely run in to her new best friend. Then it came to her in a flash of brilliance " I know where she gets off the bus, we can walk down there and find her. She has a sticker on her bedroom window. I know we can find her!" I explained that we really could not go to the apartment complex down the road and start knocking on doors but in my own flash of brilliance suggested that we write her a note inviting her over on some future date. That seemed to appease Ella and she set to work gathering card stock, stickers and markers this was not going to be just any note. And indeed it was not just a note but a card that she carefully crafted and tweaked all weekend. She could not wait to give Cassidy the "note" on Monday ( and I had slipped my own note of introduction for Cassidy's mom just in case Ella's was a tad bit unclear). So the note has been delivered and now we wait for a call from Cassidy or her mother.

Update- It is now Thursday and we have not heard form Cassidy or her mother but surprisingly Ella has not even mentioned the play date again, and here I was wondering if her heart or spirit would be broken.

School Bus Etiquette

2007-09-20T13:49:00.001-07:00

Perhaps I romanticized riding the bus. I remember listening to the radio on the bus, my driver liked it loud and he played the top 40 station. I remember it quite fondly the newest Duran Duran song blaring as I tried to snag my favorite seat all the way in the back where the littlest bump would send you flying 4" above the seat. Maybe the music was not even that loud but it was louder than either of my parents ever played it in the car and more importantly it was no station any other adult I knew would play. Perhaps I do not have all the facts straight seeing as I only rode the bus from Kindergarten through the third grade, so here is the reality of the bus as seen through the eyes of another 5 year old. On Monday as Ella stepped off the bus I asked my usual "how was your day?" the answer was not what I expected, mommy some one peed on the bus. Oh really, how do you know? Well there was "water" running under my feet. So we talked about how they must have really had to go to the bathroom and how it was too bad because they were probably embarrassed, she agreed so then we talked about how it was not the end of the world and what she could do if she was ever in that situation. Then today when Ella got off the bus she exclaimed guess what mommy and I asked what to which she responded "well I did not really mean to say guess what, but guess what?" How about you just tell me I nudged, well some of the boys on the bus were telling mama jokes. Mama jokes? Yeah, big mama jokes. So tell me a big mama joke Ella (I was not sure what was coming but I should have known) well one boy told another boy his mama was so big that people tripped on her booty. I burst out laughing and it was not even a good joke but something about her repeating this information was funny. After funny passed came the realization that this is just a fraction of the things she will overhear on the bus, this could be a very interesting year.

Maybe I spoke too soon?

2007-09-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

Ella hit the wall after school today, she came home found her spot on the couch and did not move. She did not let her hair down but she felt she could not wear her underpants for one minute longer and off they came. Who knew how uptight that new school of hers really was making all those kids wear underpants and all. Actually I have no idea why she felt the need to take them off that is really not like her and when I sat down to chat with her she shared the following with me. That one little girl in her class that she had never seen before ( you know in the whole 2 days that she has been there) threw up in the sink in their classroom. And that she played on the playground with a girl who had bangs and they screamed at the boys on the slide. Now if that is not a great second day of school then I do not know what is. She was really indignant with me after bath time when reminding me that I had woken her up way too early and my daughter who went to bed all summer long between 9:00 and 10:00 was in bed sound asleep at 7:30. I am hoping that will help her prespective in the morning because before she succomed to the sleep she so desperatly needed she wimpered and cried and expressed an interest in repeating her preschool year. I really hope that she likes school for her sake and for mine or this will be a long year.

Preliminary report

2007-09-05T05:57:00.001-07:00

After her first whole day at school I can report back that she seems to have a good day and she was able to give me a fairly detailed description of what went on with the exception of names, she could not even come up with one of those. But she amazed me with her ability to remember the littlest of details and comprehend things from another students perspective she is amazingly observant. I will have to keep that in mind as she is most likely filling away all sorts of sordid little details form her upbringing that she will no doubt use against me at a later date. And although she seems to be quite happy with her school, teacher and new friends she is most definitely the offspring of Nick and I, amazingly motivated unless of course that involves getting up early in the morning. As she sleepily ate her breakfast this morning she asked with optimism in her voice "after today do I not have to get up early?" I had to break the news to her that she in fact had to get up two more morning this week but failed to add, and perhaps for the rest of your life. She then asked if she could sleep as long as she wanted on Saturday and Sunday, and I told her of course. But we all know how that works even though she does not have to be up she probably will be up with the sun after being forced to rise every morning this week.
I am also happy to report that the girls had a wonderful time at their first ballet class. There was some hesitation on Molly's part when we first arrived, and there was the whole business of an already exhausted Ella wailing no one loves me as I rushed her off the bus and in to her tights and leotard. But when they emerged from the studio they both had big smiles on there face and wanted to share with me everything that miss Brittney had taught them. I think just seeing them in their ballet outfits would have been rewarding enough, Molly loves the way she looks in her leotard and tutu. When looking at the pictures of herself in the outfit she said dreamily I like that girl and I laughed and said that is you silly and she could not have been prouder.

And there off

2007-09-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

Both the girls are at their respective schools as I type this. I can not be certain that I have come to grips with all of my feeling about the fact that they are both now enrolled in school. Although Molly will only be going to school two days a week for half a day so maybe the last statement is a bit dramatic. But I have had my house full of little girls noise for the past six years (almost) so it is first and foremost strange and a little disconcerting. This morning after I found myself alone in the house the first thing I did was clean up the whirlwind everyone had left behind and as I vacuumed the entire first floor without stopping and I might add with my ipod on full volume (what a luxury that was) I could not truly relish my efficiency. While signing along I kept hearing thuds or squeals like phantom children noises, maybe related to the phantom pain one feels when they loose a limb and still feel tingling or pain or itching. I remember after having Ella as I sat in my hospital room holding her in my arms I would feel kicks and movement as though she was still tucked safely inside so I asked the nurse about it alarmed that something was wrong with me. She said that nothing was wrong and that it is actually quite common that or maybe she was just trying to console a crazy first time mother. But here Ella is somehow now old enough to be whisked away on a school bus all by herself, it does not seem possible.When the bus pulled up this morning Nick said where is everyone as the bus appeared empty, that is until it started to round the corner and all these little faces were all staring out barely able to peer out over the bottom of the window. I suddenly feel as though Ella is so vulnerable and there is nothing I can do to remedy that. As I was making her lunch last night and packing it ever so carefully in her new barbie (not my choice for sure) lunchbox I fretted over it like she would be spending a week in the deep woods. I worried about if she doesn't like what I have packed and will she be starving and miserable by the time she gets home? Or is that enough juice for the whole day, I mean at home she can eat or drink whenever the mood strikes her and I am always there to make sure her needs are met. Listen to me glorify my mothering skills as if there were never times when I was swamped with work and instructed her to pick a box of cereal out of the cupboard for snack and share it with her sister. But it was still based on my judgement and my knowledge of my daughter and now Ella will be spending the majority of her waking hours with someone who hardly knows her. I know Ella will love school and this is just me feeling the pain of the first time in a series of many when she will pull away but I had honestly fooled myself in to thinking this transition wouldn't bother me in the least. So here I sit crying and typing and very proud of my smart beautiful big school girl, and her sister too who did so much better than I ever would have guessed on her first day of preschool. Last year when Ella started preschool that did not bother me at all it was a nice little break for me and in a school I had picked just for her and I know Molly will love it there too, but this whole kindergarten thing is much bigger than I expected.
*Disclaimer- may not make as much sense I thought when I was writing it because I was being an emotional sap!

2007-08-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

For your viewing pleasure

2007-08-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

Just click on the picture to see Dr. Claire & Dr. Cayla Hayley in action.

Why do we always hurt those we love the most?

2007-08-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

Bobo has a ritual she follows when I leave the house, it is not all that elaborate and it makes me feel loved and missed. She absolutely must get a big hug and kiss and then she stands on the porch and waves goodbye as I drive away, and I open my window and yell that I love her and to be a good girl. Well I gather it is all a bit too sappy for my oldest to wittness because the other day as I was driving away and giving Bobo my final farwell I see her come flying out of the doorway she was standing in and fall to her knees. I stopped the car and yelled for Nick, Ella who was on the other side of the door had slammed it shut and sent Bobo flying. It was fine in the end all was forgiven and it was back to being playmates, but as I drove away I thought it is too bad that we often do treat those closest to us the worst. I know that I am sometimes guilty of being more patient with the clerk at the supermarket than I am with Nick or the girls so who I am to ask any more of them.

Fear Factor

2007-08-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

Bobo has always been a scaredy cat but recently her fears have expanded in both scope and intensity. The phrase that escapes her mouth most frequently is "what was that noise!?" followed by "was that just you?" She gets worked up all the time and when I say worked up it is a sight you would have to witness to believe, you would think she had spent the first years of her life in a war torn country. She screams, cries, clamps her hands around her ears, sweats, and just becomes generally paranoid and miserable, the main culprits are as follows.

Fireworks
Cats
Dogs
Thunder storms
The ice maker (which she call the ice cream maker)
Trucks
Airplanes
Construction noise (they are building houses on our street and have been for the past 2 years)
Bugs
Closed doors (even when you would like a little privacy in the bathroom)
Bugaboo Creek, a steakhouse with a talking moose on the wall.

Chuck E. Cheese, Nick has a bad experience there with Bobo and to tis day when we drive by she makes us promise to never bring her there again. One of the easiest promises I will ever make in my life.

The dark, when she goes to bed the following lights must be on, our room, the guest room and the upstairs playroom. Yes they have two playrooms one upstairs one downstairs and I still have toys strewn all through the house. You should hear the reasons given for not playing in the two room dedicated to play.

Any noise that she does not know the origin of, no matter how distant the source or low the volume.

You know I could go on and on with the list, it just grows by the day and while I hope that this stage is reaching it's peak at least Nick and I can keep our sense of humor. While discussing her fears we came to the conclusion that some day her biggest fear will be running in to us in public, her friends will hear her say "what was that noise, was that my mom's car, it sounded like my mom's car"

Really

2007-08-01T18:20:00.000-07:00

Bobo why must you yell down the stairs every night at the top of your lungs. Asking the same question each night. Mommy do we have to whisper?

And while we are on this topic why do you ask me every night if that is your seat at the dinner table, as if you have not sat in that seat at every meal since you graduated from a highchair. Never mind that every other seat at the table is already occupied. Do you really not know the answer? Because if I do not answer you repeat the question over and over your voice growing in size and pitch until I look you in the eye and say not just yes or yep or thats right, but I must tell you that yes that is your seat Bobo.

You are something else miss Bobo.

There are lots of real animals you can eat.

2007-08-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

Something occurred to Ella the other day and she bound in to the room to share with me. "Mommy you know there are lots of real animals we can eat, like we can eat chickens that are real, or lobsters, well you can't mommy but people can. And we could eat, umm, umm well there are a lot of real animals to eat."

Sister's

2007-07-13T10:22:00.001-07:00

Ella assures me that when they grow up they will still be the best of friends and I hope that's true.

P.S -make sure to scroll down there are a few posts with new pictures I just did not have time for the stories today.

What are you really thinking?

2007-07-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

This look just might catch on

2007-07-13T10:14:00.001-07:00

What do you think?

The Greenhouse

2007-07-12T20:58:00.000-07:00

On a Saturday in July this is where we were, I will wish for these moments back when February rolls around.

It's my hair!

2007-06-11T05:25:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday as we rushed around getting ready for gymnastics I thought I covered all my bases and fought all my fights for this round of outings. I pulled the door open and turning back to get the girls I noticed that Ella had modified her hair, hair which I thought looked rather cute prior to her adjustments. She had pulled her bangs out of the pony tail, although I am not sure that they qualify as bangs anymore seeing how they extend just below her nose, and put a barrette in the bangs so that they hung down covering one eye and laid to the side of her nose. I did not really want to bring her to gymnastics looking like that but I know how strong willed she could be. So I thought for a second and against my better judgement made a comment. The comment was something like won't those bangs get in your way during your class countered with "NO" so I followed up with, but you are covering up your beautiful face. To which Ella replied "it's my hair, on my head and I will do what I want with it!"

Christmas Wishes

2007-06-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

I found the girls Christmas list in my desk the other day and it made me laugh so I thought you might like to see it as well. It was created with the help of their daddy, who's handwriting is charmingly child like. Molly spirit of commercialism was not up to par and as you can see her list is a bit shorter, but luckily she has an older sister to show her the true meaning of the holiday. You can see that Ella added to her list as well as Bobo's and although I can not make out all of the item's on the list there is one that stands out under Molly's column. Fourth down Ella was thoughtful enough to add coal to Molly's wishes.

The Castle

2007-06-05T09:37:00.001-07:00

The other day when we went to the local park they were setting up for the small carnival they have there every year. We were playing on the playground and watching the "professionals" set up all the attractions when Ella's eye caught a glimpse of a "castle", "ohhhh, I want to come back tomorrow and go in that castle!!!!" I looked around to find her castle was actually Hillbilly Village, you know the old saying one man's Hillbilly Village is another girls castle.

Mmm Mmm Good -Possibilities

2007-06-04T05:45:00.000-07:00

Molly "may" watch too much t.v because when she saw me getting some soup cans out for lunch the other day she whined " no mama, I don't like possibilities". At the very least Campbells has come up with a catchy slogan.

Right Now

2007-06-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

Right now Ella wants me to spell everything for her. She spends the day following me around while I do dishes or laundry or all the other things that are so much fun already and adds to the fun by making it a spelling bee. Quick spell party or wait now spell giraffe o.k here's another how about Alessandra ( a classmate). The funny thing is while I should be able to spell any of her requests with ease she actually trips me up more often than you would think. It is like my brain can not process the steps to preparing a grilled cheese and how to spell yesterday at the same time. Now I have never been a great speller but these pop quizzes are really bringing my confidence down.

Right now Molly wants to wear the least amount of clothing possible. We had one nice day toward the beginning of May when Molly declared summer had arrived, that day was of course followed by a string of cold weather but Molly did not care she wanted to wear her crocs and sun dresses. Molly tells me that any shirt with a sleeve gives her a wedgie, I think she has misunderstood the definition of a wedgie? While Ella was pretty sure we were still in the throws of a Maine winter and refused to give up her wool lined boots. All of the children in her school had moved on to shoes weeks ago but not Ella. Ella who also wears a thick cotton Christmas sweater to bed over her p.j's every night even though our 1890 house has no air circulation upstairs and is about 100 degrees even when the air temperature outside is a reasonable 65 degrees. Could they be any different.

Right now I am too embarrassed to return to our regular grocery store. Let me tell you why. On Wednesday while picking up some groceries we had a bit of an incident. It started in the check out line where Molly started to display some pretty memorable faces, I asked if she needed to use the ladies room and Molly who is terrified of public restrooms stiffened and in a panic ridden voice said no she most definitely did not. I repeated this line of questioning and she convinced me she could make it home. Just as I finished paying for out groceries I saw that she was clenching her butt and making her lovely I have to poop face. I grabbed her and the cart of groceries and ran for the bathroom while she cried rather loudly "I am going to poop my pants". The cart was slowing us down so I ditched it in the produce department and grabbed Ella from the cart remembering she had begged me to let her ride in the cart so she could leave her shoes off and in the car. Great so she was going to have to walk in a public restroom with no shoes, well I had bigger problems so we continued on to the bathroom. Did I mention that Molly's outfit of choice for this day was a leotard and pirate rain boots, well as we burst in the bathroom I am trying to wrestle the leotard off but she has her butt clenched so hard it is proving more difficult than you would imagine. As I finally free her from her outfit I see that she has already started and she continues all over my pants and all over the toilet. Ella is standing behind us plugging her nose and making faces. I calmly ask Ella if she thinks she can go get mama's bag out of the cart, a look of panic crosses Ella face as she shakes her head no and I realize that is not going to happen and probably not the best idea anyway. So I strip Molly down and throw her underpants and leotard away, then I realize the situation is still pretty bad I have no baby wipes and she is filthy and my pants don't look so good either. So I do the best I can with the thin, cheap, flimsy toilet paper and come to the realization that I am going to have to walk back to the produce section with poop on my pant leg, a daughter dressed in only pirate themed rain boots with yellow poop stains that could not be removed with mere toilet paper and another daughter trailing behind barefoot. If I saw this display I can only imagine the judgemental things I would think of this mother. But since you are reading this you will realize we all survived.

SUNDAY MORNING...

2007-05-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

Bunny

2007-05-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

Easter Morning 2007

Her Jacket

2007-03-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

This is the flare that Ella has added to her coat zipper.
1. It is a shell that opens up and has a little mirror on the inside, this is a very valuable McDonald's happy meal toy that we have managed to hang on to for quite some time.
2. A flashlight ( a well loved gift from Maga)
3. A witch who has a happy face and a mean face which you spin around and change by pressing the orange button ( a well loved gift from JJ)

My girls have style-

Ella's Masterpiece

2007-03-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

Ella made this at a the first birthday party she ever attended. She was very proud of it and gave it to me when we got home proclaiming that I could put this anywhere in the house that I wanted to. Truth be told I think it is pretty ugly but that birthday party was in November and I still haven't had the heart to dispose of the hand. It is displayed in the corner of my kitchen and every day I wall past it thinking how ugly it is sitting there but at the same time I am afraid that she may grow up right before my eye's and never create anything like it (and be proud of it) for me ever again.

Dress Up

2007-03-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

Little Bits

2007-03-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

Just some of the things I have overheard around the house-

Ella and Molly were upstairs playing with Polly pockets and I heard Ella tell her sister "these clothes are so beautiful it's breakin my heart"

Recently Molly has been somewhat clingy with me and never wants me to leave her sight. When I run outside to check the mailbox she has a breakdown, if I return the shopping cart to the cart corral she screams, when I go in to the basement she has a fit at the top of the stairs, you get the idea. I had no idea where this was coming from she had already gone through this months ago and I did not know they went through separation anxiety twice. Well one morning during breakfast I had to take the trash out because the other adult in our house had forgotten so I got my coat and boots on and headed to the back door and Molly started in with her usual panic so I did my best to calm her and went out the door. Well I had forgotten my gloves so I turned back just in time to see Ella whisper to her sister "mommy's not coming back" SO it turns out children do not go through separation anxiety twice unless they have a sometimes evil older sister.

As witnessed by her father,
Just after tucking them in to bed Nick said Ella sprang out of bed ran over to look in the mirror and said "what, my bed head is started already?"

In the tub the other night Ella was feeling her backbone and when she came to the bottom she asked what is this, I told her that was her tail bone. She then said "Oh does it have a nut in it?"I laughed and told her no it is a bone and explained to her that a long time ago we used to have tails. Ella said who did and I answered humans, she then said who? Hayley? I laughed again and said no humans did a very long time ago. She accepted this answer then ten minutes later she said what are humans? I think she is in the stage of already knowing everything (I am finding it harder to impress her) but I also think a big part of it is who she is, she will never let on that she does not know exactly what she is doing or what is going on. I love that she is so observant and loves to learn but I always hope that she is not to hard on herself, and realizes it is o.k not to know or to be a little bit of a fool once in awhile.

You know Molly has said some very cute and witty things too but along with the camera cord I have misplaced the paper I had jotted down all these tid bits on and these were the only ones that came to mind. So when I remember or locate the paper I will return to share them with you.

Good for a laugh?

2007-03-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

So I can not find the wire for my camera and therefore can not transfer any of the photos I have taken recently. But I do have a batch that I took with the camera on my laptop. What do you think? Could these be contenders for next years Christmas cards?

Wow was it really Nov 27th?

2007-02-10T19:08:00.000-08:00

I did not believe it when I saw the last post was dated November 27th. Well it's a new year the holiday's are long gone and my thank you's did not go out all that long ago, shame on me. I do not really have any excuse except life and all the day to day things that must get done (and my energy level at the end of the day when "most" of those "things" are done.)
The children have given me a promotion and with that advancement comes added responsibilities. The title of my new position is Chief Locator, I am responsible for pinpointing the location of every item that my children own at any given point in the day. I must quickly locate any misplaced Polly Pocket shoe (which are the size of an atom) or find the missing power puff girl in seconds flat. I am ready to step down and take any nesecary paycut, because quite frankly I am no good at this job nor do I enjoy it. But I do love my boses no matter how irrational they become.
I should be shouting from the rooftops about Molly's newest advancement, she has mastered the use of the toilet!!!! But I find myself keeping quiet because I think a lot of people assumed she was already potty trained because well she is three years, seven months, thirteen hours and twenty minutes old. It is about time! I have two of the most stubborn children, her sister made a late entrance to the world of underpants as well but not this late and I was starting to worry just a little. But Molly has done a great job for the past two weeks she has not had any accidents and she wears underpants ALL DAY long. It all happened one day when she declared she wanted to wear underpants. Well we have been down this road before so I was not holding my breath. Later in the day as she sat on the toilet a big smile spread across her face and she asked " Mama am I growing up?" I said you sure are, she could not have been prouder of herself and from that moment she has not looked back.
And speaking of cute Molly moments just the two of us went to the grocery store yesterday and she wanted to get a little mermaid book so I said yes then she very sweetly said will you get my sister one? I said sure which one and she looked up at me and said "you know, Ella" as if I had forgotten about my other daughter in the twenty minutes she had been out of our presence. I clearly meant which book.
Everyone in our house has been sick for a week except Molly, somehow she has escaped the sickness I wish I knew her secret but in light of all of the sickness we have taken to wearing our pajama's for much longer than we really should even Molly has joined in on the fun of all day pajama's. But on Valentines day it was Ella who melted my heart when she announced that her Valentines day present to me was to stay in her meme's (p.j's) all day so mama would have a little less laundry to do. Maybe I spend too much time with preschoolers but that seemed like a thoughtful and clever gift.

Do you remember me....?

2006-11-27T12:02:00.000-08:00

All kinds of tid-bits because I do not know if I can get my brain to organize to many coherent thoughts all at once. So here you are in no particular order-

Ella asked me at the breakfast table "Mommy when I am six how tall will I be" then she asked the question that she was really had a burning desire to know "mommy when I am six can I drink Coffee, coke and beer" Hmmmm, how about we talk about that when you are six.

Bobo called my bluff last night when I warned her that Santa was watching and she better be nicer to her sister, she turned and said "Santa doesn't know me"

Sometimes when I am rushing around frantically and the girls are asking for something every three seconds I will say are you going to explode if you don't get-insert frivolous request here- right this second? I then usually hear an exaggerated yes. But on this morning while running particularly late Ella asked me to fix her tights and then quickly added "Mommy I will not explode if you don't fix my tights right now" That's when I stop and laugh and realize that I will not explode if I stop and help once in awhile even if it seems frivolous to me. Those are the moments that my children touch my heart as crazy as it sounds. All of the day to day seemingly little moments and actions really do add up.

Every time I get out of the shower Bobo tells me that I look like Barbie, flattery will get you everywhere including a trip to the eye doctor.

In the next installment I will tell you all about "Mr. Meaty" I bet you can not wait. Here is a teaser it is a game and a character that the girls partly borrowed and partly created. Until then.....

2006-09-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

Well the girls are getting bigger by the day but then Bobo still pronounces yesterday with no Y and it reminds me that she will still be little for just a little longer. Ella started school a few weeks ago and loves it! There were several children screaming when I dropped her off and she did not shed one tear or even look back she kissed me goodbye, she marched in and started to carefully and in a reserved manner which is so Ella check everything out. When I came three hours later to retrieve her she did not want to leave. Bobo also started "school" she brings her backpack to gymnastics every week because as she explained to me that is her school. Speaking of backpacks the first day of Ella's school I showed her how I had put an extra outfit in her backpack just in case and when Bobo saw this she started to panic and demanded to know where her backpack was and did it have a change of clothes inside. Luckily for once in my life I had allowed for a few extra minutes and I packed Bobo a backpack which she insisted on wearing in to Ella's school even though I explained that we were not staying. But Bobo loves her "school" and loves the new attire she acquired , all she wants to wear now are leotards no matter what the occasion or temperature. We went to the UPS store the other day in just a leotard (only she was in a leotard just for clarification I don't want to seem completely crazy) which is bad enough but it was also quite chilly out and I thought she might learn the hard way but no such luck she informed me several times that she was not at all cold. Bobo also loves her teacher so much in fact that she has taken to calling me by her teachers name, Deanna.
So Halloween is coming and when we asked the girls what they would like to be one idea was that myself, Ella and Bobo could be the Powerpuff girls and Nick could be The professor. That seemed like a good idea to everyone but then Ella raised a concern that Nick could not be The professor because as she pointed out he does not have a square face like The professor. I love the way her literal little mind works.

So much for Promises

2006-09-06T22:11:00.000-07:00

I know I said in my last post that I was going to make an effort to write more even if I did not think I had anything of importance to write. Then what do I do but run off and not write for weeks. Well I guess life just keeps happening at a speed that I can not quite keep up with. I do this with so many things in my life, it's all or nothing. I will decide that I need to organize my pantry then that's not enough I can not stop until I have organized every closet and drawer in the entire house then I find something else to obsess about for awhile. I can not seem to do this for an hour and that for two. I have been keeping this blog going for a almost a year now which is pretty good for me, usually I start to lose interest in things fairly quickly. But I think the fact that it is preserving the memories of my children (who are growing to fast)and the encouragement and praise I get from those who read the blog keeps me going. I know I will love reading this when my children are older, you really think you will remember the things they say but you just don't. It is like reading an old note you passed in school and thinking was that really me, I don't remember being like that. But you were, you just can not put your mind back to that time, to that existence. Pictures and words can though and I want my kids to know who they were before they thought they had to be something or someone. So here are some pictures that capture a part of who they were and how their little minds functioned. A part of themselves that they may or may not recall years from now. While I can take pictures and write about the people I believe them to be only they know what's behind the often strange and endearing behaviors they exhibit. Hopefully when they look at these pictures and words it will transport them back to their childhoods, a time when they slept in beds like these as no adult would, surrounded by all kinds of strange comforts. As you can see Ella has grocery bags filled with all kinds of trinkets these not only accompany her to bed but everywhere else we go. She is like a bag lady in training and Molly is right behind her filling her bags as well. Oh to be a child again, but as children so many of us can not wait to grow up. What a shame since childhood is so short and so true in comparison to the time we all spend as adults.

2006-08-05T21:39:00.000-07:00

So much to blog and no brain to blog with

2006-08-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

I have so many things to write about and I keep putting it off which just creates more of a problem. I feel like I can not concentrate long enough to put together a thought anyone else would understand. I don't know why I am so scrambled lately I just do. I also have not been taking enough photographs lately and it is sort of the same problem. I feel like every photo and every thing I write has to be artistic, beautiful, thoughtful......the list goes on. I don't know why I do this to myself and I know that by classifying things (photo's and words) as not good enough I am risking missing out on these memories all together. I actually have a post that I wrote at least a month ago that I still have not published because I just could not put the photo's with the post because they were not that good and I did not want to post the post with no pictures. So to end the rambling I have made a pact with myself to just post even if I think it's not that "good" and not think about who is reading this and what they will think but to just write what is happening or what I am feeling without over analyzing every aspect of it.

So on to catch up, my little Bobo has turned THREE! Some days she is still so much my baby and other days she is a little girl just like her sister. She has just entered a new phase of development in the past few days and I don't know what to call this phase other than insanity. From moment to moment there is no rhyme or reason. She wants to go swimming, considering the temperature that is very reasonable. Then the crazy part, are you ready, her hair is wet oh my god the panic set's in "mama dry my hair" lots of tears "dry my hair". Then I want to wear underpants, great, terrific, oh wait 30 seconds later you want a diaper, then a minute late no you want underpants definitely underpants oh wait you do want diapers. You get the idea I won't numb your mind with the endless dialogue that follows the same pattern all day. At least only one of them is going through this manic behavior Ella is rewarding me with some very good big girl behavior, a display of behavior that makes me wonder how I could have ever yelled at her or punished her and if she is in fact really four.

Another big development is the low ratio of little girls to soothies. Anyone who has ever been in our house has seen the embarrassingly large collection of soothies which our girls coveted. Ella had at least 12 in her possession at all times and Bobo was not far behind. But the soothie hoarding is now a thing of the past as of Wednesday July 26th at exactly 12:00 noon when we packed the car except for the soothies and headed for grandma Ann's lake house in New Hampshire with only one soothie in each girls bag which will only be allowed contact with there lips at bedtime and naptime. O.K so the plan was to leave them all behind but I just could not stomach the idea of no soothies at bedtime. If any family member would like to volunteer for duty on the night that the last soothie leaves or house let me know ASAP and the soothies will be gone. I just break out in a cold sweat thinking about it, I need a little more time to prepare at least that's what I tell myself. But even though they are not all gone I feel like that was a giant step and I am proud of us all.

I would lastly like to thank everyone who sent such lovely gifts to Bobo on her big day. This is not your official thank you (you will receive them in the mail) but since some time has elapsed I just wanted everyone to know that Bobo received your gifts and loved them her mother is just slow with the Thank You's. (and she apologizes for this)

Then lastly but certainly not least we had a wonderful visit with Nana and Papa. We all had a great time (I have included some photo's from the visit) and it's a shame we don't get to do it more often! Nana and Papa took care of the girls on Sunday evening so mom and dad could get some always needed and always appreciated more than you know alone time. The report upon our arrival home was of two good girls and I hope this is true. I know what a handfull they can be and I hope they charmed there grandparents on there last night here so that Nana and Papa will want to visit again!

Is it O.K to lock the door?

2006-06-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

Not that long ago I wrote about the magic words that made going to sleep a little less traumatic. While they have not completely lost their magic power a little person who shall remain nameless decided to test her boundaries a little bit. We did the routine the same way, I would lean in and whisper I love you Bobo I'll be back in an hour and the words prevented crying and arguing and trying to scramble back out of the bed. But there was a BIG but and that is she would con me in to thinking she was going to settle down and then as I ate my lunch downstairs I would hear little noises. I would mute the t.v and listen, nothing silence so the volume goes back on and then another little shuffling or thud. Hit mute, again nothing. Another noise no, the denial took over I did not actually want to go check that would lead to a confrontation, a tantrum, tears, guilt. So I just ignore the noises then I hear a little tiny giggle and it sounds very close. I mute the t.v again and look in the kitchen and I can see a little shadow peeking out from the side of the refridgerator. As I close in on the "shadow" the giggles increase. Then the escape artist was cornered her number was up. She thought it was fabulous. I thought oh great I have to break out the baby gates again and I hate those things they are a pain in the you know what. So here is the brilliant plan I hatched I will shut her bedroom door. Are you all impressed or what? You know I just never shut the door all the way because I assumed that would scare her because her sister has to sleep with the door all the way open ( which until she was 3 the doors had to be shut all the way or she would calls us back upstairs to properly shut it) and they are exactly the same right? I am always falling in to the trap of thinking they both see things the same way I always overlook the vast differences in their personalities. So I marched her back upstairs and put her to bed and shut the door. As I made my way downstairs I could hear her little flat feet pad to the door and then she shook the knob and twisted it but much to my surprise there were no tears. As an adult I would be horrified to realize I was in a room with no way out. Apparently Bobo did not see it this way she worked on the knob for about 15 minutes and then it was quiet. When I checked on her an hour later she was in bed sound asleep with her covers perfectly pulled up to her chin. When she woke up I asked her how her nap was and she said "mama you locked my door so I went to bed". So that has been the solution at nap time and for some reason at night even if her door is wide open she won't leave her room. In fact when she woke up yesterday morning she called downstairs to me "mama, mama, is my door locked" and when I looked up the stairs she was standing in the open door asking me if it was locked. So no need to worry I don't really lock my kids in their room they just think I do.

These are a few of my favorite things...

2006-05-31T21:09:00.000-07:00

When the dog barks when the bee stings when I'm feeling bad I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad. That song actually sums up the two things my girls are most afraid of but the part about thinking nice thoughts and anxiety dissapearing does not apply to them. This applies to Bobo much more so than Ella who seems to be coming to the end of her I am absolutely terrified of everything stage. Seriously Ella would not even go near the library's pet hamster who I should point out is contained in a glass cage. So just in time Bobo will slide nicely in to the position of scardey cat. I guess watching Ella's fears all those months finally made a impact on her. We went to Fort Williams on Sunday for a picnic and the second Bobo heard the distant sound of a barking dog she wanted to "go home" we are familiar with this response these are the same words urgently sounded when we encounter a bee in the yard at home. Even though we are yards from the house Bobos response is always the same " I want to go home" shortened to "go home" in emergencies. Although she really wanted to leave at first with a group effort we convinced her to stay and she actually had fun and so did Ella who loves to point out that she was brave at all times. While the girls both have things that scare them they have things that with the same intensity please them. Ella's object of affection is a small oatmeal colored bear named Morris, named Morris because in her words he is a Morris too. Morris was actually left behind at toys-r-us last weekend when the lure of a new pool and sprinkler became too distracting. Not to worry he was back together with Ella in less than an hour. You can see Morris in both the photo of Ella and daddy holding hands and the shot of them standing up against the railing. Not to forget about Bobo's favorite friend she is a Mermaid named Nori and she (in my opinion) is not nearly as lovable as cute little Morris, she is hard and plastic with bright blue scraggly hair but Bobo adores her. She goes everywhere with Bobo. You can see how delighted she was when Nori was passed to her (it's the picture with her hand up on her check).

You'll come get me in an hour mama?

2006-05-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

Bobo has never been a great sleeper, you know when you bring them home from the hospital that they won't sleep for a leisurely 8-10 hours but you hope that it won't be too terribly long until they give you a decent nights worth of sleep. I wasn't a first time mom so I knew that at least the first few months were going to be hard but... This child resisted sleep every step of the way. The first year of her life this girl got by on less sleep than I would think is humanly possible, I don't remember exactly how old she was but I clearly remember her slapping her little cheeks to keep herself awake. I couldn't believe it, I had never seen anything like it just how much could someone despise sleep. Which by the way I LOVE, I mean really I love love love to sleep, so clearly this little girl and I were going to have issues. Now that Bobo has grown a bit she seems to go through "sleep cycles" she will sleep like a angel for a few weeks until the devil takes her place and she will wake repeatedly or fight nap time and bedtime with determination that could break the best of us. At one point she was going to bed then right as I was drifting of to sleep around midnight I would hear her. I would lay in bed and try to convince myself that tonight would be different, that if I just ignored her she would settle back down. But that just didn't happen and so we would begin our nighttime ritual, from about 12:30 /1:00 a.m until about 4:00 a.m every night I would repeatedly put Bobo back to bed. I would let her cry but then I would start to panic I did not need two of them awake. So back to her room I would go, this routine got old really fast so in desperation one early morning (2:00 a.m) I brought her downstairs put on the lion king DVD and laid down on the couch. Now why would I think that someone as sleep deprived as I was would maybe possibly fall asleep, no I won't, I wouldn't do that. Well I woke up when I heard Nick say HONEY! I look down and on the hard wood floor her body half wedged under the couch was my little Bobo, finally exhausted. Now Bobo is by no means a great sleeper but I seem to have found a magical combination of words that has changed everything in regards to her sleep patterns. Now I am not sure if I should write this down, I may upset the God's of sleep, but the words are "I will come get you in an hour". This works at nap time and bed time as she has no real concept of time. She now asks me every time I put her into her bed "you come get me in a hour mama? For now this is working like a charm, except for the fact that big sister who is much more wise in the ways of time and keeps trying to explain to her at bedtime that I will in fact not be back in an hour, shaking her head at how silly her baby sister is as she talks.

Is spring springing?

2006-04-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter with the girls and our family. The Easter bunny showered the girls with treats as did family near and far, and the girls give many thanks to all who indulged them. How lucky they are, not to have gotten so many treats but to have so many who adore them. We decorated eggs the night before Easter and we all had a good laugh at Bobo's expense when she ate a big spoonful of vinegar and dye, I wish you all could have seen the look on her face. Unrelated to Easter bobo is doing very well potty training she goes back and forth between diapers and underpants but the process has been so much more pleasant than it was with Ella. Not that I am pinning that on Ella I will definitely take the blame for that, we tried too soon and Ella being a bit of a perfectionist had a hard time with anything but perfection which led to some problems. So I am just happy to spare Bobo the inexperienced potty training mommy ordeal. Another unrelated tid-bit Bobo has learned the word jerk and although I sort of cringe when I hear her say it the immature part of me just wants to giggle when I hear Bobo say "don't be a jerk Ella". It sounds so funny coming out of her mouth and it could be a much worse word.
The weather has been warming up and the bulbs are beginning to pop through the ground , I love this time of year all the anticipation of summer. When summer has truly begun it slips away so fast in Maine that I almost like this time of year better when all the promise of summer fun is still all ahead of us. The other great thing is that the girls get to spend so much more time outside and in doing so expend so much more energy. Which in my book leads to the ultimate parents reward, girls who fall asleep as soon as there head hits the pillow and stay that way until morning. I love my children but the night time games just kill me, at the end of the day I have no energy reserved for those antics. Ella has a master inventory of everything in this house and she knows exactly what will be hard to find and therefore what to ask for in order to stall for the most time.

Come on Honey

2006-04-04T10:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at lunch we were listening to a 80's mix I made years ago, the girls love it, and they now know the words to quite a few of the songs. One of the song's is Manic Monday by the GoGo's and there is a lyric that goes as follows- He tells me in his bedroom voice come on honey lets go make some noise. Well Bobo and Ella find this part catchy for some reason and keep on repeating it over and over, come on honey let's go make some noise, come on honey lets go make some noise. Followed by fits of giggles, then Ella looks at me and says "Oh mommy Bobo just doesn't get it"

Things I will miss

2006-03-20T19:32:00.000-08:00

Someday the girls will stop mispronouncing their words and I am really going to miss some of their adaptations and creations.
Sheepers=slippers
Brecko=waffles
Hostable=Hospital
pokey dots=polka dots
zert=dessert
magown=nightgown
As well as cute words I will miss the thought process of the pre-school & toddler set for example-

Ella has been reffering to Nick and I by our first names when she is talking to other people and when I asked her why she said she likes to use fancy talk.

Or

Ella will say to me Mommy if I ever fall into a river if I get thirsty I will just drink the water, then I asked her if she was sure that was a good idea I mean what about all the fish poop? She thinks for a minuet and said to me, Mommy fish don't poop they have tails. I just love those kind of original idea's.

Or

Bobo was looking through the curtains last night and when her father asked her what was out there she said " A old man", there was nobody outside that's just what she thought up.

Or

The fact that we all have "house names" Nick is Randy Popper, I have no Idea what the origin of that one is but it makes me laugh every time one of the girls say's it, my name is suzie, Ella's name is Allison which she has now added Ariel to so it's Allison Ariel, and Bobo's name is J.J.

2006-03-20T19:20:00.000-08:00

While Bobo is coming close to the end of her second year it seems like she is just beginning her terrible, temperamental, two year old behavior. Lately everything sends her over the edge. She can not STAND even a drop of juice or water or stray crumb landing on the perfect ensemble she has chosen for the day. She starts screaming and screetching demanding baby wipes. Yesterday she spent from 8:30 to 9:30 crying, as soon as she would start to recover something else would set her off. At the end of this episode she was lying on her back on the kitchen floor complaining that the tears were running in to her ears. Are you kidding me? I explained that the best solution would be to stop the flow of tears, problem solved right? I thought so but she didn't see it my way. I really thought she might just skip these type of antic's she has always been such a happy laid back baby, but as fast as I can type this she is back. My Bobo who says without moving her lips what's going on here or comes running in to the room wearing a bright red curly wig.

My Day

2006-03-15T21:25:00.000-08:00

It is 12:20 A.m and what I should really be doing is sleeping so I can rest up for a rousing day full of interactions like this-
bobo- Mommy what king of juice is this?
Me- It's cranberry juice
bobo- Oh
bobo -mama what's this juice called?
me- it's cranberry juice bobo.
Now just multiply that times a hundred and imagine how intellectually stimulating.
Or you have Ella who wanted to discuss mermaids, she wanted to know if they are little girls that leaned over too far and fell off of bridges.
Then tonight after dinner I thought they could watch a video while I cleaned up, well I put in Free to Be You and Me and Molly started to scream and ran in to the other room when I came around the corner she kept whispering I'm afraid of the babies, what is that all about? She used to love that movie. When I finally thought we were coming to the finish line for the night Molly drew on the couch with pen, Ella got upset that I did not have the right cup for her evening beverage and then was further insulted when she insisted that her duvet cover and sheets did not match. Have you seen the way this girl dresses?

It"s Official

2006-03-09T11:15:00.000-08:00

Molly has started taking her fashion cues from her big sister.

Why Why Why?

2006-03-09T10:39:00.000-08:00

The other morning Ella and I got in to it over the soothies, in my opinion she's too old for them but its also my job to help her to give them up which I haven't really tried my hardest to facilitate. So I wanted to leave them all at home she absolutely did not, well she won that round. See while I do like the soothies while we are stuck in traffic and running around they really do help us all keep our sanity but there is a hitch. The girls are constantly dropping them out of reach and then having a panic attack about it which defeats the whole purpose of the stupid things. So ding ding ding round one goes to Ella weighing in at 31 pounds we make are way out to the car soothies in hand. Not ten feet out of the drive way Ella drops the soothie and all hell brakes loose. I decide to correct my weak parenting move of allowing the soothie in the car in the first place and make a firm stand. I pull over get out of the car open the back door find the soothie under the seat shove it in my pocket without a word and get back in the drivers seat literally and figuratively. Now who's in control, ha ha ha, well I shouldn't have gotten so ahead of myself. Ella is really putting on a show in the back seat and as hard as I try to keep my cool she is definitely getting under my skin. I break, I tell her if she can calm down and be quiet she can have the soothie back. This was a bigger mistake than I could predict. I pull down a side street put the car in park get out and shut the door, as I walk around to Ella's side of the car lecturing her on the fact that she is too old for soothies and blah blah blah it hits me I just shut the door with the keys in the ignition, cars running, kids strapped in, purse and phone in the car, ALL THE DOORS LOCKED! I scan the street no one appears to be home, O.K Heather keep your cool. I decide my best option is to see if I can get Ella to un-buckle her seat belt and unlock the door. This shouldn't be too hard right, fifteen minutes later no luck. Maybe Bobo can do it? No luck she just laughs at me, the joke in all of this eludes me, back to Ella. Five more minutes and we got one buckle undone one to go. Her little fingers just don't seem strong enough. Finally she does it!!!!!! Ella was the hero of the day, she has won the battle and the war, and learned a very bad trick (how to escape the carseat). So much for teaching her a lesson I was the one doing the learning that day.

Seen and heard around honey's house

2006-03-08T12:13:00.000-08:00

I appolagize to you all for the lack of posts the girls have both decided to put naps in the past and I am trying to remodel our very ugly bathroom on a very meager budget which unfortunately (for me anyway) involves a lot of elbow grease. Since I have no peace and quiet I will just record some of the things I have heard around the house.
Ella- "sometimes chubby babies make me a little bit shy, what makes you shy boob."
Ella has been very curious about where she came from, she seems a bit young for this line of questioning but I have kept the explanations fairly simple. Me- A mommy has eggs and a Daddy has sperm and when you put them together them you can grow a baby. Ella- with a puzzled look on her face "is it a game?"
Ella- when we were on our way home from the grocery store the other day Ella wanted to stop at McDonald and I said no we can not afford to go out to eat today we just bought all kinds of yummy food at the grocery store Ella started crying, then she regained some composure and said "but you love to spend money mama"
Molly- She was laughing so much I had to find out what was so funny, and I found her standing over the heating vent and she said "look mama I have baby in my tummy"

I bet he is the life of the party

2006-02-22T11:20:00.000-08:00

Not only is his boat named after a whiskey brand but he is from a place called Dark Harbor.

Ella the Viking

2006-02-22T11:00:00.000-08:00

We had fun on Sunday exploring a toy shop called the Planet in Camden Maine, it was a "old fashioned" toy store where there were all kinds of toys on display that you could play with. The girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves and got some goodies courteous of their Maga. It was A great day to be inside browsing because Sunday was one of the coldest days we have had this winter. It actually wasn't that cold but we have been spoiled with a very mild winter.

Molly and her loyal flock

2006-02-22T10:52:00.000-08:00

Molly still loves Dora and now it seems that the feeling is mutual, see the way they flock to hear the wisdom of Bobo.

She has what lips?

2006-02-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday in the car I gave both the girls a chocolate heart to nibble in the hope that it would buy me a few minutes of quiet driving, maybe I could actualy sing to the radio with out a question being asked the second I turned the radio up again fot the 100th time. These questions are always of a critical matter "what shoes was I wearing last week when I stepped in that realllllllly big puddle? Now they know much better than I what shoes were on there feet. They forget nothing from the most minuet detail to the biggest event of thier life. Back to the chocolate though, it worked we had a pleasnt drive home from Target. Which was very much needed since the tip inside Target was not what you would call peacefull. Ella knocked over a chest with wicker baskets and broke the top off of it, Molly whined the whole time that she wanted to walk, and the list could go on and on. So we pull in the drive way and I turn to see a big chocolate grin, actually what Molly had was more of a chocolate beard, Ella was spotless, a true perfectionist. As I unbuckled BoBo's seat belt I told her she had chocolate lips and Ella inquired if she did too, BoBo turned and said "no you have chicken lips". And i am sure you can tell these pictures are not recent but some older pictures that I really like.

Little bunny foo foo

2006-02-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

Little bunny foo foo I don't want to see you tring to do this with nylons and holding up a bank when your 19.

Seen and heard around honey's house

2006-02-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Just a little explanation, Ella has always called our house honey's house I think it was because Nick calls me honey but to be honest I never asked her the rationale behind the name I just thought it was cute. When we first moved in and the house was a disaster she would wrinkle her nose in disgust at the mess and cry that she wanted to go home to Nicky D's house. She still talks about how messy the house was when we moved in it really bothered her.

Molly has made plans to be a ballerina when she grows up, and this girl really can dance so who knows. She can mimic almost any dance move she sees me do and she has rhythm. Ella on the other hand dances like Elaine on Seinfeld (she obviously inherited her daddies dance moves). The other day in a store Ella started to dance in the isles and a few people actually did a double take, it's really quite a site to see. Picture a combination of karate and seizures, what a mean mom I am.

Ella who has been very excited to go to school, asking every day if I have found a school for her yet announced that she won't be attending school until she is seven. Her reasoning "seven is a big number" and "I already know how to read I read your grown up books all the time.

chief resident toddler comes into the kitchen with a look of consternation "she does EVERYTHING I do, she says EVERYTHING I do" then she storms off. It's no exaggeration, if Ella was the host of a radio show Molly is the five second delay. She is our very own trained parrot, she even mimics the hand gestures.

Molly says Mama I want my sheepers, sheepers are slippers I like the way she pronounces it much better.
Another of Mollys adaptations heard daily is" I want to stay heereeeee". If she wants to stay here it can mean a number of things, most of the time it means she doesn't want to stop doing what she is doing, but she has used it in some strange contexts. And one more from Bobo is I want a baby wipe, she thinks this is the solution for almost everything. A few days a go Ella spilled water on Mollys drawing and Molly wanted to fix it with you guessed it a baby wipe.

Clipping coupons

2006-02-07T20:55:00.000-08:00

Molly is preparing for our weekly trip to the grocery store, she gets really excited when she spots a good deal.

Teeth brushing 101

2006-02-07T20:18:00.000-08:00

Like almost every other routine of the girls day to day life they have cultivated their own, somewhat unusual routine for brushing there teeth. Sometimes I have to remind myself that they are toddlers who will exert control where ever they can but sometimes I just think they have discovered a way to make almost any task more time consuming and ritualistically ( and annoying to Nick and I). The rules are always changing and I can not always keep up with the newest rule or regulation they have come up with. Maybe I am making these "routines" worse but I have found that if you fight them and make them do it your way it will take even longer than their roundabout way. One of Ella's routines at nap time or bed time is to hide under her covers and when I come in I have to act out the following-
Me- Oh I am Sooooo tired, I think I am just going to lay down for a minuet. Then I lay down on top of the covers pretending not to know Ella is under there.
Ella- Giggle giggle giggle
Me- Why is this bed so lumpy and giggly?
Ella- laughing like it's the first time we have played this game, pops up from under the covers and asks me if I was wondering why this bed sounded like it was giggling.
We have been doing this for at least three weeks now and she thinks it's hysterical every single time she has shown no signs that this game is getting old.
But back to oral hygiene you can see that they like to sit up on the sides of the sink and then they have to choose the toothbrush and then proceed to change toohbrushes several times. They have no concern with who the toothbrush actually belongs to and they also like to have a selection of toothpaste at their disposal. Toddlers are strange little creatures.

Trying to fill dad's shoes

2006-01-25T07:32:00.000-08:00

2006-01-25T07:27:00.000-08:00

2006-01-24T09:39:00.000-08:00

We had a streak of mild weather last week it was like spring time, Nick even played golf on Saturday. It was so great to get outside without snow pants and boots and mittens which fall off every two minutes. I have come to the conclusion that the thing I hate most about winter is dressing squirmy toddlers for the outdoors. It's so funny to run away every time I get out a another article of clothing you must wear as if the process doesn't take long enough anyway. I really do hate it, I hate it more than shoveling, more than chipping ice of the stairs, more than freezing cold weather and more than outrageous heating bills. So it really was great to get out without the ordeal of snowsuits and all the accessories. But even greater than some fresh air was getting a picture of my girls together where they actually look like they know and like each other, that made it a great day, that and how much fun they had at the playground. Molly our little dare devil shot out of that slide like a cannon every time she went down and landed right on her behind but that didn't stop her, although it did stop another boy who saw her come flying out he wouldn't even go up the ladder with his dad. The dad remarked that he couldn't believe how tough she was. That's exactly how tough you can be with an older sister who has been anything but gentle with you since the day you were born. As you can see Ella was too cool to zip up her jacket or wear her hat, this girl has an iron will when it comes to her fashion statements. But she wasn't too cool to help her sister climb up to the big slide every time! It was one of those days that they played so well together and everything was going to smoothly, that is until it was time to go and I knew had spoken to soon.

Learning to catch

2006-01-24T09:12:00.000-08:00

2006-01-18T13:22:00.000-08:00

The girls have become obsessed with the power puff girls, which is not the greatest show for them to be watching. I will just chalk that up to another battle lost on the parenting front. It's not that bad really, like most of the obsessions that have come and gone in our house they like the characters and their own make believe versions better than the actual cartoon. Before bed each night the whole family participates in the girls own interpretation of the show. We all have an assigned part (they are not interchangeable) Nick is the villain Mojo Jojo, Ella is blossom commander and the leader, Molly is bubbles she brings the joy and laughter, and I am buttercup the fearless fighter. In the performance that ensues we (the powerpuff girls) defeat Mojo Jojo every night, we are saving the world before bedtime just like in the theme song. Both girls really enjoy this part of the routine and Nick does a great job acting out his part, and I am not sure if I should be offended but Ella said I am buttercup because buttercup is the grumpy one.

Ella's outfits

2006-01-18T12:19:00.000-08:00

Ellas choice of clothing has become somewhat eccentric over the past few months. She MUST select her clothes and she agonizes over what to wear. She has shown a fondness for layers, the more items of clothing she can drape on her tiny body the better. I know that it shouldn't bother me I shouldn't care, she is just expressing herself, but I cringe at some of her choices. And I should add that I do let her wear these creations out of the house maybe because I can still take comfort in the fact that I choose Bobos clothing although I'm not sure for how long. At least if people judge me they will only judge me on my parenting of one of my children. Although the only people who would judge me on this either have no children or children young enough to dress without a battle of the wills. Ella is so determined to be in control of her wardrobe at all times that two nights ago after throwing up for the fourth time that night at the hour of three A.M she turned up her nose at the clothing I brought her (to replace the vomit soaked clothes she had just stripped off). She climbed out of our bed and went across the hall to her room to fetch something more appropriate for the occasion. I couldn't believe it! I don't really have any pictures of the most flashy outfits, maybe I just can't bring myself to actually document those 'outfits"

Pose for the camera

2006-01-16T09:30:00.000-08:00

Ella has created a new pose all her own. Anytime the camera is pointed in her direction she immediately snaps into this somewhat awkward pose. As you see in the photos her head is tilted to the side while her arm reaches around her head as if trying to grab her ear. I have no idea why this started or who inspired this look, but you may be seeing this pose a lot on this blog, or it could disappear as fast as it started.

Default plans

2006-01-16T06:30:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we were supposed to drive to Boston and get the doors for the kitchen cabinets, these cabinets and I have been waiting to get their doors since they were installed in June of 2004. Well the weather was bad and a drive to Boston was not a good idea. So what's the obvious default you ask, well it's an afternoon at Chucky Cheese. That's a natural progression of events right, well it worked for us. I only visited a Chucky Cheese once in my childhood it was in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania (they did not have Chucky Cheese in Maine back then), we were visiting friends, but even if there had been one in our area I don't know if I would have ever seen the inside of Chucky Cheese again as my mother was not impressed. She probably thanked god there was no such establishment within a 50 mile radius of our home. On my second visit to Chucky Cheese I had a pretty good time but the girls had a very good time as you see in the photographic evidence. Ella loves it there, Molly was a little overwhelmed but after a tummy full of pizza seemed to relax and have a much better time. All in all not a bad way to spend a miserably cold winter afternoon, Chucky will probably see the Morris family again.