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.