California Christmas

I am way behind on blogging pictures for this month. I am still alive! haha. We have celebrated Christmas with Tyler's family, getting ready to celebrate Christmas with my family and then we are headed to a family reunion for Tyler's family! California has brought us crumby weather! We got here Sunday and it rained everyday minute of the day until today (Thursday). So we stayed inside a lot. It really doesn't feel like Christmas to me. Maybe Christmas day will be better!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! I will blog when I get home with lots of pictures!

It Has Already Begun!

This mornings conversation:

Makenna: I want daddy to take me to school.

Me: Okay...Why can't I take you?

Makenna: Because...you can't take me in your bathrobe. Everyone will see you and know you are naked and laugh at me!

Me: HAHAHA!

Ps...I was wearing clothes under my bathrobe! I guess I am already embarrassing my little girl!

Bryn's 2 Year Well Child

Bryn had her well-child check on 11/29. Doc says things look great. Here are her stats

Weight: 25lbs. 5oz (32%)

Height: 34.5 inches (69%)

Head: 48cm (64%)

She is getting to be a little fatty ;) At least she isn't down in the teens or single digit percentiles!

Bryn is such a spunky little girl. Although she does NOT speak yet, she knows how to communicate to you. She understands everything you say and is extremely smart. She would drink coke and eat chips and candy all day if I let her. She loves pickle spears and blueberries (Not together). She loves to color (on everything!) including: herself, the walls and clothes! She loves Minnie mouse! She is super sensitive (emotionally). She shows so many different emotions and so many funny faces. She absolutely loves her daddy and I think she loves Makenna even more! Bryn does NOT like to see Makenna hurt or upset. They may not always play well together, but boy do they love each other! She will sit and watch movies and loves to play dolls. She loves little babies. I can't believe my little girl is 2. I love her so much! She has been through a lot in her short 2 years and is super strong and doesn't give up. She is in gymnastics and tries to do what the other kids are doing. There are a few things she can 't do physically, but we will continue to work with her to make sure she keeps building strength in her arms. She uses her thumbs like any of us would. Her hands aren't super strong...but that will come with time. Her muscles were underdeveloped from birth and so she won't ever have the strength in her hands as most of us do...but we will push her to work as hard as she can and never let her give up.

Playing in the Leaves

They do love each other! :)

Kenna Throwing leaves

Silly Faces

Kenna with all the leaves stuck in her hair

Bryn

What an attitude!

Oh my mom!

Hanging out in the pile of leaves

Bryn looking through the fence

We have quite a few BIG trees in our neighborhood. In the fall/winter we get a TON of leaves. Although we do not have a tree in our yard, it seems like all the leaves collect in our drive. Yesterday we actually has some nice weather (upper 60's-low 70's). I took the girls out to ride their bikes, but they found the leaves to be much more fun. They played in them for at least an hour. Kenna loved throwing them and burying herself in them. Bryn had fun crunching them up in her hands. Who knew leaves would be so much fun to little girls?! :)

While Mom's Away(sick)...

pretty jammies

Jammies

Unfortunately I caught the stomach bug Makenna had. Saturday night I got super sick and threw up all night. On Sunday I stayed home from church, obviously, and laid on the couch all day. Tyler had to go to church because he had some meetings he had to be at. The girls seemed to be playing very well right behind the couch I was laying on. I kept going in and out of sleep. Then Makenna started yelling..."MOM!!! Bryn has a marker!!" When I got up her legs were covered with black sharpie, yes a permanent marker! She had covered her legs, toys, dinner table and Tyler's jacket. Luckily it was an old jacket and it was in the inside. It has been almost a week and I am still having trouble getting the marker off her legs. Thank Heaven for the magic erasers that took it off the table and toys!

Dentist

Makenna had a dentist appt. today. She was sent home with a clean bill of health. She has some beautiful pearly whites. While we were there Bryn was very concerned when the hygienist took Kenna into the other room to do x-rays. She watched Kenna so closely and kept asking me questions (in her language that is) about what was going on. Bryn wanted to be in the chair with Kenna and wanted the dr. to look at her teeth. She kept running over to the empty chair next to Kenna and climbing in. Bryn laid in the chair with her while we waited for the dr. to come in. She watched the dr. look at Kenna's teeth and clapped for Kenna when she was done. After Kenna got up Bryn climbed back into her chair. I was shocked at how much Bryn wanted to be seen. She has a bad reaction to people in scrubs. All the hygienists and the doctor had on scrubs. So it floored me that she was so friendly with them. So needless to say...we made a dentist appt. for Bryn at the same time Kenna comes back in June!

Thankgiving / Bryn's Birthday

Nicole, Bryn and Kenna. Nicole was so patient with the girls. She was reading them Beauty and the Beast!

Grammy and Bryn

Sisters

Bryn enjoying her ice cream

so excited about her farm!

Opening up her clothes

Kenna helping her open

Nicole, Bryn, Grammy and Kenna

Bryn's 2nd Birthday was on Thanksgiving this year. We did her little Minnie party with family Tuesday night. But on Thanksgiving day we opened her presents. We had a great and yummy Thanksgiving dinner at Tyler's family's house. We enjoyed a game of Phase 10 with Tyler's parents and his cousin Nicole. Unfortunately Makenna had a stomach bug the night before and on Thanksgiving day...so she wasn't much fun.

Bryn's 2nd Birthday

Lighting the candles

Blowing them out!

So excited!!

Clapping after we sang Happy Birthday!

Sisters. They have the same look on their face when I try to take pictures

Cousins - Addison and Brynlee

Minnie Birthday Banner

1st attempt at making a Minnie Cake

Although Bryn's birthday is not until Thanksgiving day, we celebrated Tuesday night. Tyler's sister and her family were leaving for Thanksgiving and we wanted to be able to do cake and ice cream with them. We decided to do it last minute. I made the cake and decorated it in about 20 minutes. I tried. I had made the banner a few days before because I knew that on Thanksgiving I wanted to put her banner up for her. I can't believe she will be 2 tomorrow! Time sure flies by!

Boring

I feel like I never post anymore. Not much has gone on that is blog worthy! But here is just an update on life at the moment.

Tyler is working full-time at the law firm. He is a hard worker and I'm very proud of him. He has been home with the girls and I on weekends and we love having him home in time for dinner. I am just doing things with the girls. Tyler and I went with his family last week to see 'Shrek the Musical'. It was good. We had a great time and enjoyed being on a date. We have enjoyed spending time together and also love letting each other go out for girls/guys night. I am grateful to have a husband who lets me go out with the girls from time to time!

Makenna has been loving school. We have been having play dates with her friends. I love working with her on reading and learning sounds of letters. She is so excited to learn. Kenna had her primary program today. She did very well...making faces and all.

Bryn is doing great with her hands. She is starting to use her 'more' sign consistently. She started gymnastics class, along with Kenna, last week. It is a "mommy/me" class. She loved it. She has been begging for the past few weeks to go into the gym with Kenna. Her wish was finally granted last week.

The weather has turned colder here, so most of our activities are indoors.

Things to look forward to:

- Bryn's 2nd birthday '2wks'

- Thanksgiving

- Kenna's Winter program at school

- Christmas

- Kenna's birthday

Kenna's First Parent/Teacher Conference

At Makenna's school they do what is called a Student-led conference. About 20 minutes before our scheduled meeting with the teacher, we were supposed to bring Kenna and have her show us around her classroom. The teacher left a set of directions for us to read to Kenna and have her show us the different activities. We started at her cubby and were directed to the pretend center, snack station, news board, reading center and table to pick out her name tag. We were able to see what different things Kenna has learned in her short few months in pre-k. Then we were able to meet with her teacher. Makenna sat in on the conference and played with blocks while we talked with her teacher. Each month the students are to draw a person. I guess it shows their development. Makenna drew a person with hair, arms, legs, clothes and shoes. The teacher said that was very good for her age. She knows and recognizes all her lower and upper case letters. Mrs. P said Kenna was well on her way to being able to read and would probably start soon! I have worked hard with Kenna on learning the sounds of letters and putting the sounds together. The conference went really well and I was so pleased to her how well Kenna is doing in school. She is one smart cookie!

Her favorite center at school is the pretend center.

Her favorite book right now is Goldilious or Fancy Nancy Books

Her favorite color is Pink.

Halloween 2010

Bryn's 'kiss' face!

Bryn throwing her tantrum. She was mad that we were leaving. She loves to fold her arms and grunt. It is pretty funny. It is hard not to laugh at her!

Kale, Landry, Kenna and Bryn

Bryn showing me her tootsie roll! :)

Ladybug and Belle

Getting candy from Snow White

Kenna and Ty

Kenna with the Chik-fil-a cow

Finally...a family picture!

Kenna and Sparky

The girls with Grandma Catherine

Beautiful Belle

On Halloween (Saturday) we went trick-or-treating. Since we are a 'church going people' here...all Halloween festivities were held on Saturday because the 31st was on a Sunday. The city puts on a t-or-t event on the main street. The stores close and the road is blocked. There is bouncy toys and lots of candy. All the stores hand out candy to the kids. The fire department brought a fire truck and the kids loved seeing that. We got there right when it opened and let the kids see the fire truck and bounce in the bounce house. Then we got in line to get candy. Makenna was able to ride down the blow up slide. Then we finished getting candy and let the kids bounce in the bounce house one more time before we left. We stayed an hour and that was plenty to get tons of candy and leave right when it was so crowded you could barely move! After we went to Wendy's for dinner. We were going to continue to t-or-t, but decided it would be more fun to come home and watch 'How to Train Your Dragon.' Bryn was able to get to bed pretty early and my mom and Kenna cuddled on the couch, ate popcorn and watched the movie. It was a great Halloween! We were lucky to have my mom come into town and visit for the weekend. It was a short, but much needed trip for the girls and I. We had a lot of fun with my mom and were glad she was able to celebrate Halloween with us.

Soccer Fall 2010

Bryn, My mom and Kenna

My mom and Bryn

Tyler stretching with the kids

Ty talking with the kids

Our little soccer player

Ty practicing with Kenna

The season Tyler has had the opportunity to help coach Kenna's team. Her coach has needed to be gone for a few practices and games and he asked Tyler to help out while he was gone. Tyler loves coaching and is pretty good with the kids. Over halloween the kids had a game. My mom was able to be there for the first time. It was a pretty nice day for soccer too! Kenna has done pretty well this season. A few games ago she scored 2 goals on her own. She has become better at going after the ball!