Duhtee

Libby got a new chair from Santa for Christmas. A soft pink chair. She has had it four days. It now has pencil marks and smooshed in wet gummy candies on it. She came to me in the kitchen, said "wook, mommy!" So I followed her to see what she was going to show me this time. Her chair. She pointed to the mess and said, "duhtee!" (dirty) Thanks, kid. Thanks for notifying me. I'm tired now. I'll think I'll just leave the mess for a while.

Merry Christmas

We had a fun, relaxing day. We were able to stay at home until 11:30 so the kids had plenty of time to play after getting up at 7am. Chucky and I awoke excited for Emma, and we enjoyed laying in the bed, listening to her whisper her exclamations as she saw all the loot Santa left for her.

She is most excited about her very own camera:


Libby got right into her stocking and started eating:


Emma put on her roller skates and wheeled around the house:


I dressed them up for lunch at Ghee's house and they were too excited to stand pretty for a picture:


Merry Christmas from the Olivers!

New Words

Libby exploded with new words the day after Christmas: garage, pray, amen, spank, dirty, cut, scissors, okay, babytalk, babyoff, YAY! My favorite is still thankyoumommy!

20 Months

Libby is twenty months old now. That means in four months she will be 2! I feel like she just was four months old a couple of weeks ago! She is quite the little package. She talks, and she talks with inflection and with so many facial expressions. She bellows, she demands, she yells, she whispers, and she says things repeatedly until she is acknowledged. She imitates almost anything Emma does or says, the utmost compliment to Emma. It's so funny to watch her try to do Emma's gymnastics tricks, or try to sweep the floor, or color a picture.

She has a special place in her crib where she always sleeps, with her head smashed up in the corner closest to the door. With or without the bumper, on her back or her belly, her head is always there and her blanky is tucked up under arm. One day I will sneak in and try to get a picture . . .

This week she learned to open the refrigerator. Nice! I can sit on the couch and send her to get her own cup of milk! She loves the Christmas tree and has pulled several ornaments off, but she really hasn't messed with the tree as much as I worried she would. That's probably because all the ornaments are out of her reach. Only the top two thirds of the tree have ornaments, it's gaaawgeous. I took her to the grocery store where she said Hiiii! to everyone we passed. She is a friendly, happy, hungry girl. She eats all day long. Nack, nack! (snack) she says, while she bangs her open hands on the pantry doors. She is also feisty. Maybe it's the red hair, maybe she needs an anger management seminar, but she hits, she pulls hair, she yells and cried with the best of them. It makes Emma more feisty and soon I have two yelling girls hitting and kicking each other. Lawd help me. Who do I send to time out? How do I prevent this, and should I? Should I let them fight it out? We have a lot to figure out over the next, um, 14 or so years.

Libby can say anything we ask her to, but some of the more recent things she has said are: loveyou!, ummmm, candy, Bella, house, muffin, movie, show, tree, light, on, in, out, help, alldone, allgone, rockrock, 'mon (come on) stop, nomommy, stopEMMA!

Santa 2008

Exactly what I predicted:

Sick

Last weekend I was sick. Most of the week I had headaches. Most of this weekend I had a headache. Being sick got me way behind with my Christmas shopping, and that gave me major anxiety/stress/no sleep. Today I wrapped most of our gifts and ordered Christmas cards and I am feeling a little more relaxed. If I could just have groceries delivered I'd be so relieved. Who knew grocery shopping would be my biggest dread? Here's a card that Emma made for me while I slept the day away on Sunday.

Parade

Emma was in a parade for the first time! She rode in a wagon for the Urbanna Christmas Parade with the Urbanna Baptist Day Care. She was very excited and looked forward to it all week. She was more bundled up than she wanted to be, but it was very cold! Chucky walked behind the float and Libby and I sat on the steps at the Sentinel office and watched. Libby waved to everything and shouted "Hi!" Mickey and Minnie Mouse were walking in the parade and they came over to visit Libby, but she got scared and started crying.

Body Parts and Family Names

The transition from age one to two is my favorite. So much happens in that time. A baby turns into a little kid. They learn to run, talk, feed themselves, and make 'deals' with their parents. And they do it all while being the cutest, sweetest, most devilish little things!

Happy Thanksgiving

Chas has been taking piano leassons and played 'Happy Birthday' on Thanksgiving. Our cheesy family changed the words to 'Happy Thanksgiving'. Chas played it flawlessly one time through, but when we started singing, it was a little tougher for him. It was still amazing to watch him play and see how happy he was to be able to do it. This comfortable people around the den show that this was obviously filmed after lunch! Emma is hanging out on the massage chair, Chucky is in the recliner where he stayed for about three hours, and Libby is trying to get into trouble! I am thankful for all of these people, for our health, and for knowing that each year we pass on our traditions to the next generation. It is fun to have little ones around during the holidays (and every day)!

Update: Thanksgiving night Emma was up all night vomiting, which for some reason included loud crying and yelling. I think taking care of a sick child all night can sometimes make a person feel sick even if they aren't . . . I need to lay down.

Photography by Emma

America's Got Talent

One day your kid is just learning to toddle around the house, then all of sudden she can hula-hoop. It has been amazing to watch her change and learn. She taught herself to hula hoop, over several months of trying almost every day. The first time she really got it we were both screaming, cheering, high-fiving and hugging. I love these moments!

Libby's First Hair Cut

Libby's first haircut at Shear Delight in Urbanna, VA by Jan Dunlevy.
She was an angel and deserved her lollipop!

Four Year Old Photographer

Emma still begs for the camera and takes hundreds at a time. Most of them are trash, although I have saved a few cute ones of her feet, and a few of our dog. She took this one last week, and now that I have made a hair appointment for Libby I can't decide if I should cut bangs or keep fighting it everyday with clips and headbands. Girls are so high maintenance!

Classic Emma

A Saturday in November

On Saturday, I kept my neice and nephew for the day, and at 3:45 when Libby woke up for her nap, the rest of the kids cheered because that meant it was time to go outside. Yes, it was cold. I was the only one bothered by it! On her first jump Emma got a mouthful of leaves . . . and after the drama passed she jumped in again and again. Libby didn't like the big pile of leaves and just enjoyed watching!




Notice the red spot under Libby's right eye. She got in a fight at school. It's been there for almost two weeks. Yup, that's my feisty girl.

Seven Years Old

Chas turned 7 on Saturday.

Here he is at about 21 months or so . . . just a smooshy baby!

Beautiful Fall Day

The girls decided to stomp around in the crunchy leaves this morning.


Emma caught a leaf that was falling from a tall tree above. She was so proud of herself, she saved it in a 'special place'. I'll probably find that leaf in a very strange place on a cleaning day.


Libby was still for one moment, and I caught it:

Kooky

Vote

Emma and Libby,

2008, A Historical Election

I voted. You both were with me. We all got stickers! It was an exciting day. Our country was preparing for a big first, either an african-american president, or a female vice president. Emma, you were four and you wanted Barack Obama to win because his name was fun to say. When I showed you a picture of Obama and John McCain side by side you still picked Obama because you liked his blue shirt. You repeated 'Barack Obama' over and over again for days. I guess it was realllly fun to say. Barack Obama did win, and his party (the democrats) won majority in the house and the senate, so now we wait. Nervously. We wait for the change.

Fun Guy

This is why, when the back door closes around 5:30pm, the kids go running to the door while screaming "Daddyyyyyy!"

And, unrelated, I had Libby's hair in my hands with the scissors around her bangs, and I couldn't do it. I put the scissors down and shook my head. I know as soon as I cut the bangs she will look like a "kid" and not a baby. I'll just keep pushing it over to the side and trying to get her to keep a clip in it. Stay little. Stay.

Minnie Mouse and the Spider

Click here to see all of our halloween photos. We had a night of perfect weather for trick or treating. Just cold enough so that they didn't burn up in their costumes! The both had a great time, and it didn't take Libby long to figure out that when the wagon stopped, she should hop out and get her pumpkin bucket ready. She would stand up and try to climb out before we could bend down to help her, she was so excited. They both kept their costumes on all night, which surprised me because Emma has always hated costumes. We taught Libby to say "trick-or-treat" and is sounded like "wi-wee"! She didn't say it while she was actually trick-or-treating, though, only before and after. After the girls went to sleep, I sorted through the candy and threw the gum away. Libby got some animal crackers and that was the only thing left her bucket suitable for a one year old. I put all the rest of the candy back in Emma's pumpkin bucket. It is way too much candy for a four year old. Whatever will Chucky and I do about that?

Body Sculpting

Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, I go to the local YMCA and exercise. I just started going in September, so I'm still new at all this exercise business. I usually get on the treadmill for a while and the stationary bike for a while. Today I was the only one there. Some days there are five or six young mothers in there. Today, no one. I was bored. I tried a different kind of bike, then I tried the elliptical. I didn't push myself too hard, and probably wasn't even going to be sore. Until. Until a friend invited me to come to a body sculpt class later at 5pm. Oh. My. I feel like I have been sculpted. All over.
I am so out of shape. I would be very proud of myself if I could do that entire class and not feel like I was being tortured. I couldn't finish all the reps of some of the excercises. It was obvious that I need this class, and I hope I can keep going. I need crock pot dinners all ready to go when I get home after class at 6pm. Tonight we had some kind of swiss steak over egg noodles. That's another subject, dinner.

Playtime

The newest playtime fun is roughhousing. It makes me tired just watching!

Yogurt and Cheeeeese!

There are so many things about this video that I love and want to remember:

Emma hiding the spoon behind the cup of yogurt so she can zoom it out.
Libby saying 'eeeee!' (that means cheeeeese!) for the camera.
How happy Emma is with herself.

18 Months

24lbs,4oz
31.25"
One shot in each leg!

Libby has been the same size for so long! At her 9 month check up she was 20 pounds, and now she's only 24 pounds (still in the 50-75 percentile). She got so big so fast, and now she's stuck. The eczema has been better with Eucerin cream on it two or three times a day. The doctor prescribed some cream for when it gets "really angry". Libby screams when I rub lotion over her legs and I wonder if it stings or if she just doesn't want to be still for it. Emma is the one who told me "it's probably stinging her, mommy!" Oh, um, yeah, you're probably right, Emma.
Every day Libby is full of joy and determination. She is very loud and talkative. I realized this after I spent a day with her quiet peaceful cousin, Mason. What an easy going boy! You won't hear her talk much, though. She gets shy around strangers! She didn't say anything but 'hello' for the doctor, and she didn't say a word at the Record office when I took her to work with me Monday morning. She runs laps around the house and carries her Elmo doll most places. Tonight when I was rocking her she asked for him . . . and he was lost! I distracted her with a little blankie, she got over it and I found him later. Phew.

Eczema

I don't have an upclose, ultra gross picture yet, but I (and her pediatric nurse via telephone)have diagnosed Libby's leg with eczema. I have lathered it with vaseline, aquaphor, cortaid . . . and it just keeps spreading. Everything I read says to be patient, that it takes awhile to get it under to control. I just have no idea if I'm doing the right things at the right time. She has a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, so I'm hoping to have it a little more under control by then - I really don't want to look like a neglectful mother, bringing my 18 month old for a checkup covered in cracked dry skin that I let go for a week because I thought it was poison ivy. Bad mommy.

Pizza Night

Yes, there is pizza all in her hair! She went straight into the bath tub. The next morning her clothes and sheets were covered in poop. It's been a messy weekend.

Applesauce

This is just, as Sarah Palin would say, darned cute.
Libby has rediscovered apple sauce. When we moved from baby food to finger foods, she refused to be fed. She wanted to do it all herself. Now that she can handle the spoon herself, she wants to use it all the time and brings me applesauce from the pantry several times a day.

Bye Bye Baby

I sometimes put toys in the attic after birthdays or Christmas. They are brand new, but maybe there's just not room in our house at the time, or the toy may be too advanced at the time for Emma. A few days ago I pulled one of these toys out. A whole box full of doll baby gear. High chair (Emma calls it a hotchair), swing, carrier, and stroller. The girls are obsessed with the stuff. When they wake up in the morning they are more interested in playing with babies than eating breakfast. This is unheard of for our hungry girls. Nothing comes between them and their breakfast! The only problem is they fight over it. It doesn't matter who had what first, or that there are four new things, because there is always a 'toy of the moment' and they both want it. This video is a pretty good moment. Libby goes quickly from fired-up-mad to happy-cute.

This Girl Needs Her Own Camera

Okay, so Emma wanted to take a picture of Shelby. I gave her my pocket camera for a few minutes, then told her it was time to put it away. Oh. My. Gosh. When I uploaded the pictures last night I couldn't believe it. One picture of Shelby. Fifty-four pictures of the TV show Clifford (not kidding), the dishwasher, her back pack, the refrigerator, just pictures of junk. It's not that I find this weird, no, I thought it was wonderful that she wanted to take pictures of everything. I have that problem myself sometimes. What freaked me out was that she managed to take about 80 pictures in what I thought was about two minutes. But as slow as that camera is, it must have been more like ten minutes. No wonder she was so proud of herself when she handed it over.

Baby Doll Discussion

Emma: Here's baby See-See, you're the grandma and I'm going on a trip. You better get ready while I pack her clothes.

Me: Ok, I'm ready!

Emma: Make sure she takes two naps and goes on two, three or four strolls.

Me: Ok, no problem. Where are you going, who are you going with?

Emma: I'm just going on a trip for two days with the daddy, you know, my husband.

Me: Oh, what is his name?

Emma: His name is Calla. He's a surveryor just like daddy.

Me: Oh, that's a weird name, is he from some weird place in the world?

Emma: No, he lives just across the street from my house.

Me: Ok, see you soon!

Emma: I'm back!

Me: Oh, hi! Well where's the daddy?

Emma: Oh, he stopped off somewhere. He had to go out and make jokes with his friends.

Tailgate

Sunday after church, we had a tailgate party in the parking lot to celebrate the kick off of the new sunday school year. Emma and Maggie stayed in Amy's car the whole time. Emma idolizes her older cousin. This is all fine and good for now, but is this the person that will be driving my daughter around buying her beer when she's in high school? Aaaaggghhhhh! They ended up spending the whole afternoon together. Maggie is six years older than Emma, but still has fun hanging out with her and teaching her all the girlie things to play. There is a pedicure party scheduled for the near future. Can I come?

Crazy Wiggly Pumpkin Girls

I have to post photos of them seperately, because here it what happens when I try to photograph them together:

Where I Am Every Saturday

2008 Southside Sentinel Headliners: Reese, Trevor, Alyssa, Coach Karen, Jackson, Riley, Christopher, Michael, Emma, Courtney, Coach Kate


Yes, that's Emma. She has hat issues. Hey, I'm just glad she put the thing on.

State Fair

Libby loved the animals, Emma loved the rides. There weren't any rides for children Libby's size, but we did sneak her on one, and it was very thrilling to her even before it started moving. Click here to see all the photos from our day at the state fair.

Pumpkin Painting

We have reluctantly admitted that fall is here, and are now accepting and celebrating it full steam ahead. Here's Emma painting her pumpkin on the front porch.

Carrot with legs

We found this in our bag of carrots. Emma wanted me to peel it and cut off the top so she could eat it, but I just couldn't do it! It's still in the fridge and will probably stay there until it gets yucky and has to be thrown out. It kind of reminds me of a Barbie with her head taken off.

Bay-beeee!

Libby has been playing little miss mommy lately. When she spots the baby she wants, she screams, "bay-bee" and brings it to me and repeats "bay-bee" until I acknowledge her excitement. She feeds her baby the bottle, and puts the pacifier in her mouth. Then she slings her across the room. I guess she has a way to go with her mommy training!


Libby feeds a freakishly small baby doll.


Libby surveys her children.


Libby becomes the baby! She alternates between putting the doll pacifier in her mouth, and carrying the baby around with its arm in her mouth.

Trash Can Crisis

Today . . . I went to Wal-Mart . . . and bought a $82 stainless steel lidded trash can. All afternoon I have had butterflies in my stomach over it! Did I really just buy an $82 trash can? What will Chucky say? I told myself: it will last forever, and now Shelby and Libby won't be pulling things out of the trash! I started feeling better about it. . . then George Bush got on TV and scared the hell out of me. I might go through the trash in my new trash can and search for the receipt and see what else is on there that I might be able to return. Libby's book? Emma's pumpkin paints? The potatoes and carrots?

Dinnertime

Dinnertime at our house is a crazy time. Chucky doesn't get home until 5:30 and by then Libby is almost starving, so I try to have dinner on the table promptly at 5:30. The crazy time is from 5 to 5:30, when I am preparing the food and setting the table. Libby is absolutely a wreck. She pulls on my legs, cries, screams, throws things, and this is her reward . . . a seat on the countertop in the middle of the action, snack included. These are the moments I wish time to speed up. The only moments. It's the hardest half hour of my day, and after five evenings of it in a row, the weekend looks better than ever.

Little Miss Active

Emma started dance classes a couple of weeks ago. She goes reluctantly, but says she has fun when I pick her up. She's not a girly-girl, like a lot of her friends seem to be. She doesn't want things in her hair, and thinks dressing up is just for church. She's a lot like her momma.


The Southside Sentinel Headliners are at it again! Here's Emma at bam-bam. Thanks to Maggie for the baseball pants!

Libby gets her first batting lesson from an ol' timer.

Melmo

Libby Loves Elmo! She has seen him in books, and on toys, but this was her first sighting of him on television.

To my little prizes:

I know I already posted this picture, but it has gotten inside my mind like a disease and taken over my thoughts.



Dear Emma and Libby,

Hello my girls! I know you can't even read yet, but maybe one day you will see this. And one day you will love your curly hair. Because you'll see it on your own children.
My whole life I have wished for straight hair. I've been thankful for contact lenses since I was in eight grade, and I've wished away my moles and freckles every summer. And I wished to be a few inches taller until . . . well, who are we kidding, I still wish that! All these things about me are likely going to be passed on to you. And I will love it! I'll be so proud to be the mom of the short girls with the curly hair, freckles and glasses. You'll figure out the best way to deal with all of these traits, and when you see them in your own children you will be so proud, amazed, thankful, and finally at peace with yourself.
Emma, you are four now and you love your curls and you proudly count the few freckles you have on your legs like they are prizes. Libby, you are one and everyone compliments you on your curly red hair. These things make me smile and marvel at the miracles you are . . . but remember these physical traits are just bonuses, because I'd love you just as much without them.

Dinner Table Conversation

Daddy: Libby, do you want some more chicken?

Libby: vigorous head nod yes, bawk!bawk!

Mommy: HAHAHAHHAHA! spits food everywhere

Yup, our child made a chicken sound to signal she wanted to eat more chicken. I hope God is not a vegetarian.

Libby says:

sit, bag, tweet-tweet, woof, meow, baaa, alright, down, loud, man

she has also added the 'yes nod' to her vocabulary, which helps immensely given that she always answered no even when she meant yes! thank you.

30 minutes in our back yard

Here's a typical afternoon moment in our backyard:

Libby thinks she is a big girl and tries to climb up the rock wall.


Emma zooms around the yard on her tractor, and


Libby thinks it's hilarious.


Libby gets stuck under the table.


Emma finds a "double acorn"


They fight over toys in the sandbox and throw sand on each other.


Libby displays her red curls and everyone is happy again.