thanksgiving & meet Santa

The girls and I have had a fairly calm few weeks. As for Alan, he seems to have a black cloud when it comes to being on-call because his past few weeks have been anything but calm. He has another run of call at Christmas (24th, 25th, 26th and 27th) so pray for us that he is not called in on Christmas morning therefore missing the first Christmas where the girls are "getting it" as far as presents and Santa are concerned. They are getting pretty excited about Christmas but still too young to understand the concept of time ... I think they are a little tired of waiting as we have all these decorations and presents and ... what?! ... we can't open them yet? The girls and Alan have been a little under the weather the past few days and I hope the bug continues to stay away from me! Alan is also trying to recover from running the Kiawah Island half-marathon this past weekend. We plan to stick around for Christmas due to Alan's call schedule as well as the fact that the new Finley family member should be here in a matter of weeks. It is a little exhausting to climb the stairs much less haul myself, a bunch of presents and two 2-year olds out of town on my own. It will be nice, though I will miss MY childhood Christmas routine, to begin to make Christmas traditions for my own kids. My family is coming here after Christmas for which I am so grateful! I can hardly wait to have everyone in the same room again! For Thanksgiving, Alan was off Thursday and Friday so we went to Sumter. We had a blast and the girls had so much fun playing with their cousins. I did not take nearly enough pictures!

Here are the girls on game day. I was nice to Alan and did not buy two Clemson shirts ... as he would say, at least one of our kids cheered on a winning team ... as I would say, there is always next year, right?

One of the few pictures I took at the Finley's ... the girls were happy to see their Dad and ran for hugs even though he was post-run sweaty ... they are braver than me!
The girls love to see and talk about their cousins Nick and Jackson. Both of the boys are so great with them! Nick was very patient and sat and read to Meredith for a long time ... it was too, too cute!

As the saying goes, most kids would rather play with the box the toys come in rather than the toys themselves ... just, in our case, the box REALLY needs to be big enough for two! This one worked just fine!

... as does our kitchen cabinet ... they love to play hide and seek and this is a favorite spot to hide ... I, of course, can NEVER find them though ;)

Another favorite new "game" is to bounce on Daddy's legs ... which I am sure is easier on Alan than the "jump on Daddy" which they used to love to do!

The past few weeks, the girls seem to have gotten closer and closer ... they often want "sissy" to kiss their "boo boos" as opposed to Mommy ... which is what is happening here ...

We decided the girls were old enough that we could chance putting up a Christmas Tree ... they have been told they can touch the ornaments but only with ONE finger ... and they are really very good about it!

I thought it had been a while since I posted a photo of myself ... so, here I am, in all my big belly glory ...

Anyone who knows about how this particular event went last year knows that a 50% improvement is not too bad ;) Meredith wasn't thrilled but she tolerated it ... Hannah was terrified. For fear of scarring her for life, I didn't even try to put her on Santa's lap but you can still see from the picture that she is about as close to me as she could get without morphing into my body ... which, most days, I think she would do if she could ...

haircuts and children's museum

We have had a good few weeks. Alan had a week off two weeks ago and other than a few administrative-type things he had to do, he spent most of his time with us girls. He "reconnected" with "his" baby (Meredith-she has always been the one who will give "love" freely to him whereas Hannah is a Mommy's girl and needs to be in the "Daddy mood" to pay attention to Alan) and now she cries when he leaves the room and they follow him in the bathroom and etc ... nice change of pace ;) The change in routine (perhaps) did throw a wrench in our MMO success and Hannah has taken to crying much of the day again. Geez ... just when you think it is getting a little easier! Thursday was a pretty good day, though, so maybe we will be back on track soon. We decided that it was time to even out their hair and took them to the salon for the first time. I was surprised at how much I worried that they would look different from each other ... as much as we feel it is important that they realize they are different people and how much we do want to foster their independance, I guess I will always hold on to the days where people had a hard time telling them apart. Even post-haircut, their teachers rely on my dressing them differently, so I guess I don't have to be sad yet!

this is Meredith, pre-haircut

Meredith, again. She was so well-behaved. I guessed that she would do better with being messed with than Hannah would but I was surprised at how well she did. She just sat there like she was told and looked to be enjoying the whole process.
still Meredith

Meredith, all done from the back ...

... and from the front!

Hannah, pre-haircut ...

Hannah really did OK. Which surprised me, as well! She whimpered a little and reached for me to get her almost the whole time ... and needed her "bee bee, bay" ... and was generally a little squirmy but she didn't cry or insist on getting down so I was super proud of them both.

When her hair person (didn't catch the name!) started to dry her hair she actually looked like she enjoyed it! Now, sometimes she wants me to dry her hair at night after her bath which is fun ... a fun part of having girls ... fixing their hair.

Hannah, all done from the back ...

... and the front!

We had a pretty bad day yesterday. Alan was post-call and the girls were restless and wanted to "go somewhere else to play" though we had plans to go look at a car. So, in order to try to compensate them for spending an hour + at the Toyota place yesterday (which, in turn, made them fall asleep in the car on the way home and therefore not take a nap once we got home therefore be REALLY grumpy the rest of the day) we decided to take them for a fun day this morning. We went to the children's museum then to get some Mexican food (one of their favs) at Taco Boy. They were so well-behaved the whole time (with the exception of when Meredith fell and twisted her ankle ... which she is still limping around from ... so, understandable fit.)

Here, they are playing in the water room ... if they were only about a foot taller, this room would be much better ... so we didn't stay long

Here, they are "driving" the shrimp boat ...

hmmm .... guess the shrimp boat has 2 steering wheels (or driving wheels as Hannah would say) ... speaking of, this is Hannah in the pink ... the girl always has to be wearing pink, have the pink bowl and the pink spoon ... girly girl, that one!

post-twisted ankle (the reason for M holding on to blankie) ... here, they are playing with blocks with Alan ...

The favorite activity of the day, by far, was hanging out in the crafts room. We made these lovely birds (the two funky purple ones with the crazy feathers and rhinestones) and sat them on the tree to help decorate the room ... I think they really enjoyed the fact that since there were two sets of adult hands, I was letting them play with markers and glue ... when it is just me, we stick to crayons and tape! Alan and Meredith's bird is on the left and mine and Hannah's is on the right.

This particular day, they were offering "painting in the garden" so we went out and let the girls mess around with the paints. They seemed to really enjoy it! Hannah, in particular, really enjoys being creative and coloring and crafts (from my observation and also per their teacher at MMO.) Meredith is my sorter ... she loves to sort and organize and to play with multiple of the same-type thing (blocks, plastic animal figurines, stuffed animals ...) They both love to play with Play-Doh and Meredith wants me to take one color and make all of it into little balls she can dump out and put back in, dump out and put somewhere else ... etc. Hannah likes to take all the little cookie cutters and make different shapes or make worms ... etc. It is interesting to watch them learn their preferences with play.

Trick or Treat, Holy Molars & Big Girl Beds ...

Well, we made the leap to big girl beds! Between getting out of the cribs, getting rid of the paci & potty training ... we figured this was the one they were most ready for! They did astonishingly well until today, the honeymoon seems to be over. They (well, really Meredith) partied it up instead of napping this afternoon. Hannah was out the first time I went in but I think she about pee'ed in her pants when I came in and said "get back in your beds!!!" whereas Meredith was in and out of hers for the whole 2 hours they were in there. I kept hearing toys that make music that were not in her bed ... would go up there and poor Hannah would just look at me (from her bed) with the deer in headlights look and Meredith would say "but I, I just, I, I, I, wanted, wanted ... I wanted ... toy ..." she was too worried to make sense but not too worried to keep getting out to play with loud toys! We are getting there though and it has been a lot easier of a transistion than I thought it would be. For Halloween, since it was 90 degrees I decided against putting them in the full length fur monkey and elephant costumes that I bought and instead just put them in some cute little ballet tutus that a friend gave me. They were a little skeptical at first as my neighbors were giving out toothbrushes and toothpaste (they are dentists) instead of candy but after we got some actual candy and they figured out what was going on they had a lot of fun trick-or-treating and then answering the door at our house. They are still doing well in school though in general they are going through a fussy stage. They are getting some more 2 year molars and they are NOT happy about it! Poor things! They are just a mess! They chew on their hands all day and drool and fuss ... I can't wait until all of these darned teeth are in! We had a playdate here today with a few of their school friends and they did great and it has been fun to see them becoming more social. I was very proud of them and how well they shared even their most favorite toys. Here are a bunch of photos from the last week.

Hannah's toddler bed

Meredith's ...
Hannah playing in her bed with her "costume" one ... when I put it on her she said "Mommy! I look like princess!" So we named ourselves Princess Piggytails ...

Meredith ... she is beginning to learn to stand still and say "cheese" for pictures

About the best I could do for two in one photo ... Hannah wouldn't drop that paci ... she is much more attached to it than Meredith ...

Meredith left and Hannah right ... ready to hit the streets and hit up some neighbors for candy!

Hmmmm ... anything good in this bag (Hannah)?

Now THAT is what I am talking about (H)!!!

Mmmmmm ... chocolate (Meredith)!!

just a cute shot of the back of the outfit ... think this is Hannah

They made their little trick-or-treat bags at school ... here, they are checking out the goods ... and yes, eating Mike & Ikes off the floor ;) Oh well, a little Vitamin D-I-R-T never hurt anyone =)

reading books in the tutu ... there is more to a "princess" than just good looks!

I love the close-ups where you can tell their eyes are the same color as mine ... maybe a little proof that they are, in fact, my children =)

Meredith may regret this day in a few years ... the day she proved to me that she can use a vaccuum cleaner (sort of) ... I was flipping my couch cusion covers and getting down feathers EVERYWHERE and she dust busted all of them and had fun, too! Hannah pointed them out for her (over here, sissy, here's a feather) and she would suck them right up! Quite handy aren't they ... when they want to be!

My poor, teething little girls ... the frozen lemonade was a hit tonight and I had a day where insisting they not eat messy stuff on the couch was not a battle I was going to fight ... they are pretty good with the spoon though ... this is Meredith ... full on concentration face ...

Hannah ... a little frozen lemonade ... a little Max & Ruby (cartoon) ... what else could a girl ask for?

Happy Fall!

We have been busy bees lately! We were all sick and stuck at home for 2 weeks so have been making up for lost time the past week or two! The girls are both FINALLY OK with going to school and seem to be even enjoying it! They sing tons of little songs and can both recite nursery rhymes that I don't even know all the words to! It is funny to see a little kid get a song stuck in her head ... all weekend, Hannah sung "doo, dah ... doo, dah ... doo, dah, day!" ... which, in turn, got Camptown Races in my head all weekend, too =) The photos are in reverse order but when I am doing this, I never take the time to think backwards when I put them in! The new baby is doing well ... we have decided to name her Caroline Avery. We are getting to the home stretch and have her furniture ordered and we are going to look at cars soon ... I am starting to feel anxious to get everything ready ... Unless something changes, I am scheduled for her delivery on January 27th. She kicks a LOT and keeps me up at night kicking ... wakes me up early kicking ... Alan is thinking we will have yet another fiesty little girl! We will see! The girls seem to be excited (though I know this may change when she is a reality to them) but love to talk about her and how she will live in her room and how we need to get another car so Caroline can fit and how we can play with her and once M said that when Baby Caroline gets here she will "be so happy" (she was saying that Caroline would be happy, not that Meredith would be happy) ... I asked why she would be "so happy" and she said "be so happy to get her Mommy back!" ... ?? I think that has to do with when I come and get them from school ... who knows ... but they do love to talk about her, feel my tummy (when she kicks, Hannah gets really into it and says "Mommy! I hear the baby kicking you!" ... too funny), "look for her" they will pull up my shirt and say "want to see her, want to see Baby Caroline," so I hope it will be as smooth a transition as is possible with this kind of family change. Well, I could go on and on ... but I will stop here and get on with the photos ...

Today, I helped with a little "Fall Party" at the girls' school. I snapped only 3 photos before my camera battery died =( Here, they are singing and doing the motions with their teacher, Miss Linda. They are the two in the back with the white sweaters. It is a cute little class of 2 year olds! The teacher said that today they fought with each other for the first time so I know they MUST be feeling comfortable now! They fight all the time at our house! They seem to always be either fighting or hugging! Very moody, these two ... wonder where they got that from?? Today their teacher was marveling at how "connected" they are (her word) and said that they try and try but can't tell them apart and that even their personalities are so similar that it is impossible for them to figure out a system for who is who! So funny to me because I think they are so different!

We went to the zoo in Columbia this past weekend. It rained a bit on us and the girls were fussy at the start but it ended up being a good little day trip! We pushed them a little too far and Meredith had a massive fit to get back in the car (overtired, anyone?) but all's well that ends well ... as you see here ...

Here is their cousin, Kate, who has to be the most photogenic baby in the history of babies! She always seems to be willing to flash a big smile ... and those blue, blue eyes are to die for! Alan's sister and BIL live in Cola and it was nice to see Sara and Kate for a few hours on Saturday!

The girls were very grumpy until after we ate ... here, they are getting treats from Daddy for behaving at the restaurant! Alan jokes that you can get Hannah (pink) to do just about anything for candy! Man, that girl has a sweet tooth! The second half of our trip was much more fun!

The girls are still very much Mommy's girls and I always lament at how they will "let" Alan pretty much do anything while he is alone with them ... watch football, check his email ... and when they are with me and I try to do anything other than be with them 100% it is a no-go (or I do it holding one with the other crying at my feet) ... well, this made me feel better the other day ;) The minute he sat down with the laptop they were on top of him to play (or snuggle)!

We had a playdate with some of the girls from MMO the other day and the hostess has this GREAT little jump castle! Perfect for 2 year olds! The girls loved it and have wanted to go "jump, jump" several times since then. It was really nice to get out and socialize and watch the girls interact with other kids that they "know." Thanks, Connie! This is Hannah ...

Meredith ...

with a friend ...

what a great backyard ... the girls have really gotten into swinging! They used to be scared on the swing (even the little baby swing) but now they love to either swing "like a big girl" or get in the baby swing and swing "higher and faster, higher and faster, higher and faster!"

On one of the recent very chilly days, we went to feed the ducks in Hampton Park. The girls looked so young in these little sweatsuits and their hats. I couldn't resist snapping a few pics ... I can't believe that in a few short months they will be my big girls and there will be a new baby in the family ... this is Hannah ...

Meredith ...

lovin' the lollipop ... and they think the words "tootsie roll pop" are about the funniest thing a person can say ...

A few weekends ago we went to the Aquarium ... it was so nice because Alan was there, too, and one girl wanted to do one thing and the other wanted something else (happens a LOT lately!!!) and so we went our separate ways and I had a nice time being able to cater to one child without feeling torn between the two ... we met up outside at closing time and walked around the harbor for a bit ... thought this was a cute photo op!

This photo was taken first and I think Hannah's expression was too funny ... she was not too sure about the huge frog ... in the next photo she was hightailing it off the bench ;)

The weekend prior, my parents were here for a few days. My Mom and I took the girls to the Pumpkin Patch at Boone Hall. My Mom took more photos and I plan to save them (thanks for sending them, Mom!) and post some, too ... but just haven't gotten around to it yet (I know, I know ... what else do I have to do?!) ... Here, the girls are picking their pumpkin ... needless to say, the ones we actually took home were a bit smaller ;) They have expensive taste, just like Mommy =) She was trying to pick it up and making the "Ughhhhh" noise you make when you lift something heavy and saying "is it too heaby" ... they still switch up the "it is" with "is it" and "v's" are still a little tough for them to say ... but other than that, they can pretty much say anything ... they even use "me, my, mine, ours, they, theirs, his, hers ..." those kinds of words the right way ... it amazes me how fast 2 year olds learn! I think I will be a bit sad when it all comes out perfectly! I think the little mistakes are so cute!

just some cute photos taken in the yard ... the girls love to be outside and they have definately gotten comfortable in our new house ... we play all over the place! We play in their room, the play room, on the guest bed, on "Mommy and Daddy's" bed, in "Baby Caroline's room," in the family room, on the porches, in the yard ... I feel like for about an hour after they go to bed, I am putting the house all back together! They certainly own the house at this point!

Two looking at the camera at once! That never happens!