Saturday, August 24, 2013

Last days of Summer

Ana is starting the day off this morning with two of her favorites--an "OP bar" and the "Elephant Monkey Hat" movie on the iPad. 


Her vocabulary is still developing so some days we're still at a loss figuring out what she's trying to say. She was persistent one day for a good twenty minutes or so asking for an "OP bah" I'm not sure how we eventually figured out that she meant a "protein bar"--"ahhhh! Duh." Sofia helped us out with "Elephant Monkey."

"She wants to watch Curious George, Mom!" 

Of course she does! The movie poster on Netflix shows an elephant, a monkey and the man with the yellow hat. So now she calls it "Elephant Monkey Hat." Makes sense to me. 

Dan and I can't get over how much she reminds us of Curious George. She has his energy, they sort of sound the same and they even kind of look alike--big eyes, button nose and that great big smile. If I'm honest I'm just happy that this summer we've managed to find something that keeps her still for more than 30 minutes, but the real truth is that the smile on her face while she's watching it melts my heart. 


Friday, August 16, 2013

Sweet Jaxy boy

We're so sad. We had to say goodbye to sweet Jaxy Boy, our Buddy. He was such a good, good, good dog. 

Unfortunately he was diagnosed with doggie dementia which wouldn't be such a bad thing if it wasn't causing him to be aggressive. He snapped at us and the girls a couple of times and we saw a decline in his general being: no longer enjoyed being in the backyard, peed in the house, spent awake time staring at walls, took little interest in us most of the time--he didn't even greet us at the door anymore. 

It was a really hard decision for us to make, but we felt like it was the right thing to do to protect the kids and to prevent something terrible from happening when he inevitably continued to decline cognitively. He lived a long life; almost ten years with us! And we'd guess him to be about 15 years old. So we take solace in his long, happy life. 

When we told Sofia lshe was very sad and cried, but she asked a lot of questions and has seen it coming since we had told her he'd likely be going to Heaven soon. She thinks the first person he'll run to is Grandpa!

We took him one last time to a big field off Allen Parkway to roam around in and fed him mini bagel dogs. It was a nice memory for us all and it's where I took this photo of him. 
Sofia sent along a stuffed animal to comfort him at the vet. Dan took him and he went peacefully. But it was admittedly one of the hardest things we've ever had to do. We definitely miss that sweet boy but feel some relief in the house now, not worrying about him or the kids, but we were heartbroken to let him go. He was there when we brought our babies home. His fluffy tail encouraged them both to crawl--they wanted to grab it. He would let Sofia hang on to his back while she learned to walk. And most importantly, he taught them how to love animals. 
Bye bye, Buddy Boy! We will miss you. 

The Tooth Fairy's First Visit

Well, it happened! Our little girl lost her first tooth. I still remember the first time she found out that kids lose their teeth. She was probably just three and the idea petrified her. Times, they have a-changed!

I really don't think I've seen her more excited and proud about anything before. 

Her tooth has been loose for some weeks now. And she's been working on it, pushing it with her tongue, showing it off and announcing it to anyone who looked her way. But then suddenly today, seemingly out if the blue she hopped in the car and announced excitedly, "I'm going to lose my tooth today!" with such certainty. 

Thirty minutes later we're sitting on my bed and she's showing me her tooth. She was right, it really was wiggly and looking pretty unstable. So, I asked her if I could try to pull it. I never thought she'd say yes, but she did. I yanked with a tissue but stopped when she winced. She giggled, continued scoping it out in the mirror and came up to me three more times, each time handing me a tissue and saying, "Ok, try again!" The third time was the charm!



Thank goodness she couldn't stop talking about the tooth fairy all night so Dan and I wouldn't forget our duty. Sofia insisted on leaving the TF a note reminding her to lock the door after she left and to please not take the box with the tooth in it with her. She also gave the evicted tooth one last cleaning with a toothbrush so it looked it's best for the Tooth Fairy, who left five one dollar bills in the little wooden box to replace that little tooth. I can't wait to hear her reaction in the morning! 

Going through these "firsts" with her is so fun! I can't wait to experience these moments with all three of our little ones. 

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Thunderstorms are scary

Thunderstorms are scary, so it's a good thing God gave these little girls a strong, comfortable daddy to protect them. 


Ana was covering her eyes and hiding her face until eventually she fell asleep. Daddy soon fell into line and Sofia just posed for the picture. 


Thursday, August 8, 2013

Ana Camp

Last summer Grandma started a tradition with Sofia called Camp Grandma, where Sofia could spend two full days and nights at Grandma's house, doing all the fun things they do together: crafts, cooking, playing and just spending time together. 

One of the benefits for me is that it gives me special alone time with Ana! She can require lots if energy these days, which I seem to be short on, but we had a really wonderful day together. I don't realize how little time I get to devote these days to just her and listening to her voice and fulfilling just her needs. Mostly I think it's because she's always so active, but of course it's also because she shares the limelight with her older, more vocal big sis. She's changed a lot during the summer already. She speaks a lot more and every day I understand more of what she's saying. She's also developed a really sweet and caring side to her personality. She won't leave the house without giving whoever she's leaving behind a hug and kiss. And she plays such a nurturing little mommy with her baby dolls. Today at the mall she walked up to a complete stranger, a woman pushing a new baby in a stroller, and out of the blue gave her a hug and a kiss on the leg. The woman nearly melted into the floor at her random display of affection. 


So, we had a wonderful day. After dropping Sofia off to Grandma's we went to the mall, played on the playscape, had lunch and shopped leisurely at Target, where she picked out a water color book. After her nap the first word out of her mouth was, "Paint!"

I love that sweet little AB!