Dentist visit

I took the girls to the dentist yesteday.

It's always an exciting trip :)

Their teeth look great. Miss Regan went first. Eager to hop in the chair, picking mint as her cleaning flavor (that's my girl!) and get x-rays taken. She did remarkably well, no cavities! And her 6 year molars are well on their way to coming in. She has 2 more loose teeth and was encouraged to wiggle wiggle wiggle!

Next it was Miss Sidney's turn. She squirmed in my arms a bit, needing some reassurance that this wasn't going to hurt and she was going to have all of the fun that Regan just had. She bravely climbed into the chair, all on her own this time (last time she sat on my lap). Regan on one side, me on the other, coaching her through this experience, holding her hand and reassuring her. Regan got to play around with the controls on the chair, making Sidney go way up high and tilting her way back, they want one of those at home!

The staff managed to get x-rays....from a 3 year old! Something they tell me is pretty rare. We saw all of her adult teeth, ready to make their debut in the coming years.

And eventually, she slowly fell apart. The tears started and she just wanted it to be over. Thankfully we were minutes from finishing and she held on while they wrapped up.

I'm so proud of my two brave girls!

Curlers!!

Regan will perform in a dance recital at the beginning of June and her hair is expected to be in a specific style along with "super curly". So we set out to buy some curlers and today she begged to practice with them. So after bath this afternoon I put them in her hair, only to let her know they needed to stay in ALL night long in order to work.
Well, our friends were coming for dinner and despite claiming she didn't care what she looked like, she ended up in tears when the doorbell rang and insisted I take out all of the curlers.

I must admit, they do make a person look a wee bit funny. She managed to smile and laugh as I told her the story of having to show up to high school wearing these things for a trip to the state danceline competition so many years ago. Yes, I was dropped off at school wearing those things!!

Practice Practice

This week in school, Regan will practice running around the track (and getting timed). It's not the mile run, they will start that in 1st grade. It's just a single lap around. So last night, I took the girls to the track and had her practice. She did great! She finished lap one in 2:45, and asked to go a second lap that she finished in 3:15. She was so excited to learn she had just run a 1/2 mile! Today we watched a good friend run a 1/2 marathon and when I told Regan that our friend had just ran 52 laps, her jaw dropped. And then she said "I want to go practice running!" So off we go again!

And yes, Sidney joined us for our run. However, given all the rain lately, she was overcome with fear when she saw worms on the track. She insisted one had crawled into her shoe and made me carry her as we ran around the track. I'm sure that was quite the sight. We climbed into the car afterwards and she was feeling creep-crawly full of worms; she hysterically screamed for me to take off her shoes because there just had to be worms in them!! I finally pulled them off her flailing feet and she immediately kicked off her socks before breathing a sigh of relief to discover she was without worms. 

Her hysteria was slightly comical, but she insists we have creepy crawly worms in every room of the house and the poor child is petrified now! 

Another Friday

I long for Fridays. The day of the week that I have off from my paid job (one that I really really love).  The day of the week that I get to spend catching up with an energetic 3 year old. The day of the week that she and I get to spend volunteering at Regan's school. And today, the day of the week that I got to spend pool side :)

Here's a recap of a typical Friday, courtesy of my iPhone because I sadly managed to leave the camera behind.

Dear Sidney woke around 6:30 this morning, this after having trouble falling asleep at bedtime and struggling with a super short nap yesterday. I knew I needed to keep her happy and busy or we'd have a really L-O-N-G morning. She asked to visit a park after we dropped off Regan for school.
So off to the park we went:

From the park we headed back to school (a tad late) and got to be a part of the volunteer recognition day. Our late arrival meant we didn't have to sit on stage, something I wasn't super interested in anyway. Listen to the school sing a wonderful song of THANKS to all the volunteers. Great job kids!

Sidney and I stopped back home for an hour break and she asked to go for a walk. That usually means "I'd like to ride my _____(insert ride on toy) and you walk next to me" so imagine my excitement when she asked to get into the jogging stroller. I knew she was growing tired when she had that request. And I jumped at the opportunity to get a little excercise while she was content to just relax with her hands drapped up on the visor, as we jammed to some tunes. She was so cute as she bopped along, singing the words she sort of knows.  

Then it was time to go back to school and prepare for Friday Stations. This was our last Friday Station for the year and boy am I glad we had the opportunity to help out this year. I have gotten a chance to truly get to know Regan's classmates by spending so much time inside the class working with the students. And Sidney, well, she fits right in (notice her sitting to the left of Regan in the picture below as they listen to instructions). Regan's teacher adores Sidney, loves her sassy sweet, attitude, her adorable clothes, her energy and the love she shows to her big sister. Sid can't wait to have her own Friday Stations, and sometimes I catch her in imaginary play pretending to be the teacher during "Friday Stations".  

And guess what time it is now.............

Yep, it's NAP TIME!!!!!



Humid-Hot-Sprinkler-Fun

When the temps pushed 80 and the humidity made their curls tight like noodles, the girls asked to swim. 

Not quite, we haven't turned on the heater yet. 

How about the sprinkler?
SURE! 

They giggled and danced and skipped through the water and we rejoiced that it finally feels like summer. The pool out back has been one giant tease this spring as we sit and gaze at its clear blue water, waiting for a stretch of days like these. 

 Regan's so desperate to get in the pool that she busted out the goggles for the sprinkler. Slightly unnecessary but incredibly hilarious to see her run through wearing goggles. 

 And as for Sid, well, she just cracks us up. She changed twice before finding just the perfect swimsuit (out of a choice of at least 10), then hammed it up when she noticed I was taking pictures. 

Something tells me she's showing me "I'm number one!...and don't you forget it!"

May Day

Regan learned about May Day in school and insisted on making baskets and playing the traditional May Day game on the neighbors. They were thrilled to be playing a little "ding-dong ditch" type game but couldn't ditch long and ended up sneaking back around the corner to see the neighbors grabbing their treats from the door stop. So cute!

Swim meet

Regan participated in another swim meet today. She continues to impress us with her abilities and brings tears to our eyes as we watch her. All 4 grandparents were able to make it to this meet and helped cheer her on. This meet, she was moved up to the 6-8 year old bracket which was much more challenging. Despite this, she managed to finish 2nd in the backstroke and 4th in the freestyle.

 Little sister Sidney might be her biggest fan; and like a true fan, gave her a giant huge, dripping wet suit and all!

 After several unsuccessful pictures, I begged her "please open your eyes so I can get a decent picture".

This is what i got:

Congrats Regan! We are all so proud of you!
We love you!!

Friendships

The girls have become increasingly busy with their social calendars, and keeping everything straight is a full time job. I must admit  though, it's a lot of fun to help foster friendships and enjoy their ability to learn to share, play and grow outside of school and siblings. We were on playdate #3 of the weekend today and Sidney got to spend some time with her BFF while I and BFF's mom got to enjoy catching up. We took a break and busted out the cameras to watch them play with the Dora car and laughed as we thought about this scene in 13 years when they started to drive.....

First it was Sidney navigating while Ava drove

Sidney then took over and managed to get them hung up in a pine tree; what you can't see is Sidney on the left literally stuck in the tree!

 Then it was Ava to the rescue as they started their getaway!!

Vehicle fair 2011

The calendar shows it is Saturday April 28th....but it feels more like March 1st. It's cold, rainy and dreary. Despite that, the girls and I headed to a local shopping mall for the annual vehicle fair. Half dressed in winter gear and half dressed in rain gear, we set out for some fun.

They climbed in and on dump trucks, school buses, charter buses, SWAT vans, sand trucks, fire trucks and more.

 At the end of the morning as we headed home, Regan said "mom,that was SO fun!". It was music to my ears to know she appreciated my efforts, in the cold, to take them on a fun adventure! I too thought it was SO fun!

Star of the Week

Sidney was given the honor of being "Star of the Week" this week. The picture below speaks a thousand words, she was so proud of herself! There were pictures and comments all about Sidney on display for the entire week in her classroom. She thought it was pretty cool; expcept she scolded me when I brought in pictures with her AND Regan together.....let's just say she wasn't thrilled to be sharing the spotlight this week.

WE LOVE YOU OUR LITTLE STAR!

Spring nights

Ryan is on "close week" at work which translates into "just me and the girls" all evening. We have all sorts of crazy fun. And last night, with the weather so amazing, we did everything imaginable outside, starting with dinner on the deck. We moved to the front and did a little bowling which happens to collide well with Regan's gym class as they are working on bowling. 

Then we headed out for a long walk to soak up all the sun. Regan brought her scooter and I had to laugh as she kept complaining of her right leg being sore. I'd suggest she switch but she just couldn't figure out the coordination part. In due time....

The night ended with a lot of rolling down the ever so slight hill in our front yard. I laughed as I thought back to my brother and I doing the same thing so many years ago. In fact, I remember finding an old barrel and climbing inside as he gave me a shove down the hill! Round and round I went until I reached the bottom. I'm waiting for the day for the girls to discover something similar!



Stories by Regan

One of Regan's favorite things to do is write stories. So when they had an 'ocean' theme recently in school and got to write a story about all she learned, I'm pretty sure she was in her glory. 

Below is her short story of facts, complete with something called brave spelling (the children sound out the letters and do the best they can without asking for help). Repeatedly, her teacher says "we don't have to be perfect every time, we just have to try". 

This little girl impresses me so much!

Making her family proud

I'm pretty sure daddy, Grandma Jan and Papa are going to be glowing as they see this picture.

She lacks form....so you all have your work cut out for you.
But the important thing is: she's interested and she loves to hit that little white ball!

What you can't see in this picture is Sidney, standing about 4 feet to the left....yep, the target for this ball. I will claim my Mother-Of-The-Year award now.

This little girl

packs a lot of punch into our days.

She loves to pick out her own outfit and dress herself. Head. to. toe.

Back up an hour, she insists on washing her own hair / body during her SHOWER (yes, our 3 year old prefers showers).

She tells it like it is. There's no sugar coating for this sweet girl. If she's sad, she'll tell you, if she's mad, she'll yell at tell you, and if she's tired, well, you WILL know!

And if she has an opinion about something, her attitude shines. She puts her hands on her hips, pushing out her hip to the side and speaks very matter-of-factly. Boy can that make us laugh. Frankly, it makes everyone around her laugh.

Oh and she's quick to dish out a hug, and an "I love you" for no reason at all.
And she still gives the best hugs ever.

Love you my sweet Sidney!

Notice what's different?

Oh this little girl looks so grown up now

(Thankfully she still sports some Hello Kitty pajamas)!

Dance pictures

Last fall, Regan started dancing at a new (to us) studio, well, technically the dance company moved to a different space so I guess it IS a new studio! It's definitely a more flashy-stage style of dancing and she's learning tap, ballet and jazz. Her retention is incredible for the new language of steps, positions and combinations. I'm thoroughly impressed! 

Tonight we headed to pictures and she was able to put on her very colorful costume; she LOVES it!

Go Logie Go!

Last year, we were able to watch multiple college softball games during Logan's freshman year. Unfortunately, we haven't been so lucky this year. With the girls getting involved in more activities, it's been a challenge to get to Bethel to watch Logan play.
But last night we headed over to Macalaster and were fortunate to see quite the softball game! 

 Of course, my night isn't complete if I don't help this one with a bathroom break....in a minibiff. 

 And once we broke out the sunflower seeds, the girls were pleased as punch to take a break of playing in the bleachers. They really enjoyed watching Logan at bat and cheered quite loudly along with the rest of us! 

Congrats on a great game Logan! Hope we get to another one soon!

Spring has sprung

And my allergies, along with this beautiful tree, are in full bloom! 

 Our old house had a similar white tree in the front yard; we were able to sit in the tree for our pictures. Doesn't work so well with this tree given the sheer size of it. It smells amazing and looks beautiful. 

Adding these two cuties in front makes it even more special. 

Sleepover

Regan hosted her very first sleepover last night. I'd like to say that it went completely smooth and everyone behaved but with a 3 year old in the mix, things can get a little difficult. Poor Sidney just wanted to be included. And as you can see, Regan's BFF, Katie stands no taller than Sidney so of course she feels like she should be a part of the fun! 

 We had a "movie theater" night with popcorn and Alvin/Chipmunks Chipwrecked because Katie was so excited to see it and the girls didn't mind watching it for the 3rd time since Easter. 

 The next morning we played a little Wii Just Dance to distract from the imagination play, toys and crafts that were only causing Sidney to get frustrated and her big sister to shed some tears. Watching those 3 dance themselves silly was so much fun! 

I"m happy to announce, as a whole, it was a successful sleepover. Maybe next time we'll have to think of something for Sidney to do for a few hours outside of the house so she too can feel extra special. 

Happy Easter!

We woke up to baskets full of treats from Mr. E.B. this morning. The girls were tickled to dig through their new trinkets and waited patiently until after church for the big egg hunt. 

 Their anticipation for the hunt was priceless. The way they stood next to the door, waiting for everyone to get ready and watch the fun. And before we knew it, they were off!

 Regan quickly realized that she was grabbing plastic eggs at a faster rate than Sidney. So in an effort to be the kind, gentle big sister that she can be, she proceeded to walk next to Sidney and point out all sorts of eggs for her little sister to grab and place into her basket. 

Melt a mama's heart moment :) 

 With 80 eggs hidden among the grass, flowers, playsets, etc, the girls needed to empty their baskets into shopping bags on two occasions! 

 We were able to catch a few pictures before the girls got too terribly messy, out of sorts. 

 Playing games, watching movies and hanging out with aunt Amy is one of the girls TOP things to do. I think she enjoyed her built in blanket during the movie too. She was a sandwich between those two!

 Just as the previous Easter, we uncovered the pool to let the tarp dry in the warm sunlight. This week, a very cold week I might add, is the one we have picked to have someone officially open our pool. Brrrr!

 More games with aunt Amy. Miss Regan was pretty good at Twister and was able to win most of the games. 

Happy Easter!!

We hope you had a wonderful day!